The Ukrainians call them “Sukork” (sugar cubes). Their inventor Dmytro Selin, a Ukrainian who has lived in London for a long time, calls them “candy” and if you enter “Цукорок” into Google, you will see pictures of boxes of chocolates. In Germany they would probably be called “Bonbons”, in Vienna simply “Zuckerl”. We are talking about a small device for Ukrainian soldiers that can be used to detect drones.
Since their invention, demand for the devices has not been met. The waiting time from order to delivery has so far been several months. Now there is hope that Ukraine (-> current news from the Ukraine war) has succeeded in increasing production by involving other manufacturers. “Sukork” is a means of radio-electronic reconnaissance. It warns Ukrainian soldiers of Russian drones. It does not transmit anything, it only receives and therefore does not reveal the position of the carrier. It is small, light, cheap and very easy to use. It analyzes the received signals, identifies the type and, depending on the signal strength, warns with vibration and, if desired, with a warning tone. A weak signal generates one warning, a medium signal two, a strong signal three. “Sukork” recognizes all major Russian drones. In order for it to do this, the firmware in the device must be updated regularly. Because it has to be simple, this can be done not only via PC, but also via cell phone with a USB cable.
And this is where the electronic warfare experts come into play. They provide the data, including the frequencies of the Russian drones currently in use. However, the signals also have other parameters that allow them to be clearly assigned to a drone type. This is the only way that “Sukork” is able to display an identification of the threat on the small screen. The device scans three frequency ranges simultaneously. The standard ranges are 865-885, 895-928 and 970-1020 MHz. An 18650 battery supplies the device with power for 12 to 20 hours.
“Sukork” recognizes the common Russian reconnaissance drones and displays a code letter to the user: Z for Zala, E for Eleron, O for Orlan, Sc for Supercam. The dangerous combination of scout and kamikaze Zala + Lancet is displayed as Zl. A solo Lancet as La. The dreaded FPV drones as FPV. If the identification is not unique, but only similar, a question mark is also displayed. The display also provides a value for the signal strength and thus enables a rough estimate of the distance. https://militaeraktuell.at/airpower-display-director-oberstleutnant-ploder/ The device can also be operated with a directional antenna in a tracking mode and thus enables an approximate bearing of the signal source. The first version of the “Zuckerl” cost 2,400 hryvnia (around 52 euros), the second version, called “Vanilla Sugar” (with two antennas) 3,000 hryvnia (65 euros). And that’s not the end of the story, the development goal is a low-cost, pocket-sized all-in-one detector for ordinary soldiers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=EFQTgmteJTCNFlM-&v=gc9ipHuTQjA&feature=youtu.be
Incidentally, the orders for Ukrainian soldiers during drone attacks are clear. In the event of a drone threat, the lives and health of the soldiers count more than the equipment. It is therefore not cowardice to run to safety if drone defense is not successful in time. It is the lesson and the economics of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine, which has now been going on for more than 900 days. Equipment can be repaired or replaced. In contrast, the survival of soldiers has a much higher priority.
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