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Russia has tested an autonomous navigation system designed to guide drones when satellite navigation signals and external communications are unavailable or jammed.
The system, called SOVA, or Comparative Optical Visual Authentication, was developed by VA Technologies and uses computer vision to compare images captured by an onboard camera with satellite maps, allowing a drone to determine its position in real time, the Center for Unmanned Systems and Technologies told TASS on October 28.
“The developer of the solution, VA Technologies, is a finalist in the third cohort of the CUST Special-and Dual-Use Projects Accelerator. The SOVA system is based on computer vision technology. During flight, the system compares images from an onboard camera with a satellite map of the terrain and determines the UAV’s [unmanned aerial vehicle] location in real time.
During testing, a drone equipped with the SOVA system completed a route that had no clear landmarks and included substantial differences between the satellite map and the actual terrain,” the company said.
The test drone followed a star-shaped route, visiting four waypoints before returning to its launch site. The test used satellite imagery from the spring of 2025 rather than an updated map, deliberately introducing discrepancies between the stored imagery and the actual terrain.
One section of the route highlighted the system’s ability to correct navigation errors when the landscape did not match the stored images.
“The second waypoint on the satellite map was located over dark plowed land, while the actual terrain featured a light-colored field covered with stubble. With no landmarks to guide it, the UAV deviated from its course. However, upon reaching a tree line, the SOVA system promptly corrected its course and successfully reached the third waypoint,” the company said.
The center said the developer estimates that SOVA could substantially improve mission reliability when satellite navigation is unavailable.
“According to the developer, in the absence of GPS, SOVA is capable of increasing the UAV mission reliability rate to 99%,” the CUST noted.
The tests come as Russia has begun incorporating similar optical-navigation technology into its one-way attack drones used against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate said earlier in the month that Russia had equipped its upgraded Geran-4 jet-powered attack drones with a system called Susanin, which uses an optical sensor to compare images of the terrain with reference images stored in the drone’s computer. A similar system was identified on the K5 variant of the Geran-5.
Ukrainian drone analyst Serhii Beskrestnov has also told Business Insider that comparable systems were already being used on smaller Molniya, V2U and Lancet drones.
The rapid development and deployment of such systems reflects a broader Russian effort to make drones more resilient to electronic warfare, which has become a central feature of the conflict in Ukraine.
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suomi ppl have mongol (from the genges khan) genes. a nice prosperous and harmonic neutral country decided to become a struggling shithole, and the most dangerous: a easy target for russian nukes. they will be gone in a question of seconds. in case of ww3