Ukraine's BlueBird Tech introduces lightweight antenna for FPV drones

The antenna's clover-shaped design provides circular polarization and an omnidirectional radiation pattern, making it suited to fast-changing combat environments. It is fitted with an SMA male connector and an RG402 cable, which simplify integration into existing platforms.

BlueBird Tech representatives told RBC-Ukraine that the CLOVER 5.8 GHz can be installed on FPV drones, UAV detection equipment, and radio-monitoring systems. The company also noted that measurement devices and ground-based robotic systems can carry the antenna, not only aerial FPV platforms. Its operating range overlaps closely with the 5.8 GHz band that most FPV drone operators already use for video links.

The lightweight construction minimizes the additional burden on FPV drones, helping preserve flight characteristics during normal operational use. The company has not disclosed that the antenna itself contains electronic warfare, interception, encryption, or autonomous flight capabilities. Its documented function remains transmitting and receiving radio signals across the specified frequency range, with integration depending on the host platform and communications equipment.

The antenna arrives alongside other Ukrainian developments involving unmanned systems. Another Ukrainian defense company, WINFLY, has introduced the WINFLY Spider, a reusable interceptor drone designed to capture aerial targets with a net before returning toward its launch location. The Spider is based on the WINFLY 10 Hunter platform and reportedly reaches speeds of up to 160 km/h, with an operating ceiling of 5,000 meters. The two systems represent separate parts of Ukraine's growing unmanned technology sector rather than components of one disclosed weapon system.