Russia is already using carrier drones capable of transporting additional FPV attack drones to their targets on the frontline. Its ability to scale up and deploy such systems over longer distances could increase significantly in the future, according to aviation expert Bohdan Dolintse, a member of the Public Council under Ukraine’s State Aviation Service.

Dolintse said the technology itself is not new to the frontline. Such aircraft, also known as mothership drones, have been used since last year. They serve as airborne platforms that carry additional attack drones closer to their targets before deploying them to conduct strikes.

There is currently no confirmation that such systems have been used against Kyiv. However, Dolintse did not rule out the possibility that Russia could have deployed individual or experimental versions of these systems near the Ukrainian capital.

According to the expert, reliable satellite communications are a key requirement for operating carrier drones over long distances. Without them, rapid development of the technology and its widespread use at extended ranges remain difficult.

Dolintse said the situation could change significantly once Russia develops its own satellite communications using store-and-forward technology, in which data is temporarily stored aboard a satellite or at a ground station and then transmitted to its destination once a stable connection becomes available.

He warned that such a capability would significantly increase Russia’s ability to scale up and deploy carrier drones.