Nyomkövető címkék a drónhadviseléshez

How to Designate Targets and Improve Training

May 09, 2026
A által Simon Samodurov

In this research article, DTU evaluates commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) tracking tags for usage in drone training and combat. The study compares Bluetooth-based devices such as Apple AirTags, Tile Pro, Samsung SmartTags and dedicated micro-GPS trackers against metrics critical for First-Person View (FPV) and standard quadcopter operations in the Ukrainian military. 

How Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) Tags Work

Instead of communicating directly with satellites or cellular towers, a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) acts as a simple, low-power radio beacon. It continuously broadcasts a unique, encrypted identifier over the 2.4 GHz frequency band. Because it only transmits short, intermittent bursts of data rather than maintaining an active, heavy two-way connection, a tag can operate for up to a year on a single watch battery. This low weight and minimal power requirement make them highly suitable for disposable deployment from small unmanned aerial systems (sUAS).

BLE tags operate in two ways – through anonymous network uploads from any nearby cell phone and direct short-range communication with the controlling cell phone(s). As both the training and combat environments are unlikely to contain networked cell phones nearby, most usage of the tags by the Ukrainian military will be direct, meaning limited to 150m or less detection range. 

Operators can use specialized apps, handheld RF scanners, or drone-mounted microcontrollers to measure the signal strength of the 2.4 GHz broadcast. As the receiver moves closer to the tag, the signal strengthens, allowing operators to triangulate the exact location even in dense foliage or complex rubble. Additionally, many tags feature built-in piezoelectric speakers that can be triggered to emit high-decibel alarms, providing a final auditory cue to pinpoint a downed training asset in the last few meters of a search.

Warnings When Using Tags

When utilizing tags in a high-intensity electronic warfare (EW) environment like Eastern Ukraine, soldiers must navigate serious operational security (OPSEC) risks. These civilian devices were designed for finding lost keys, not for tactical use in the dense sensor network of the modern battlefield. Use of tracking tags contains significant risk of detection from enemy forces, or of accidental discovery by friendly forces and misidentification as Russian spy equipment.

The following critical warnings are strongly recommended for any use of these powerful but dangerous tracking devices in a tactical environment.

1. Don’t be a “Lighthouse” Commercial BLE tags continuously broadcast a beacon signal on the 2.4 GHz frequency band. While low-power, this emission is highly visible to military-grade Signals Intelligence (SIGINT). Russian Electronic Warfare units operate advanced detection systems (such as the Leer-3, Zhitel, and newer specialized UAS detectors like the Filin-I) that constantly scan for anomalies in the electromagnetic spectrum. Carrying an active BLE tag on your person essentially turns a soldier into a walking radio beacon, allowing enemy EW to triangulate their position even if their primary radios and smartphones are turned off. 

Solution: Always turn the tags off, preferably by removing their batteries, when not in use.

2. Notifications to Enemy Devices If a Ukrainian drone drops an AirTag or SmartTag onto a Russian trench or vehicle to track it, the tag will eventually recognize it is moving away from its owner. It will then automatically push a notification (e.g., “An AirTag is moving with you”) to the smartphones of any Russian soldiers nearby. This civilian safety feature effectively acts as an early warning system for the enemy, blowing the element of surprise. In addition, commercial tags are programmed to emit a loud audio chime when they have been separated from their

paired smartphone for an extended period (usually between 8 and 24 hours, depending on the brand and firmware). If a tag is used to mark a hidden cache, a drone launch site, or is simply forgotten in a rucksack, it may begin beeping autonomously.

Solution: Adjust the settings of any target designator tag to not communicate with nearby devices. Training trackers can be set to automatically emit noise after a set interval of no contact with the owner’s phone, making the drone easier to find. Any recovery operations relying on smartphones to track the tag should be done strictly from the rear echelon or via automated microcontrollers mounted on follow-on drones, keeping human operators offline and out of the EW crosshairs.

Using Tags for Drone Target Acquisition

A use of cheap commercial tracking tags is to drop them, typically from an ISR drone, near or onto enemy positions in order to facilitate the ability of follow on strike drones to find the target.

Best options:

• Longest cheap range: Tile Pro (Life360) – 170m range
• For longer range: Advanced LoRa Trackers – 15km range

Detection of the tile trackers must be done onboard the followup attack drone, which requires using either a cellphone or, much cheaper and lighter, a standalone Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) scanning tool. Scanning tools range from $1000 multimeters, dedicated BLE tracker tools and bug scanners to $15 ESP32 Development Boards with built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, ideal for integrating into a drone to act as an automated BLE sniffer. Examples: Espressif ESP32 Development Board, M5Stack ESP32 Dev Kits

Tactical Usage Considerations

• Directional tracking: Directional tracking requires Angle of Arrival (AoA) hardware (multiple antennas), which adds complexity to the drone’s payload, or the strike drone’s flight controller would need custom software to fly a search pattern (like a spiral) to constantly measure if the signal is getting stronger or weaker. 

• 2.4 GHz Signal Congestion: The 2.4 GHz spectrum is highly congested. The follow on drone-mounted BLE sniffer will have to filter through signals from friendly drones, enemy drones, Wi-Fi routers in nearby ruins, and local EW jamming. The sniffer must be tightly programmed to ignore all MAC addresses except the specific one assigned to the dropped tag to avoid veering off course.

Line-of-Sight Limitations: Range estimates for all devices assume ideal line-of-sight (e.g., drone to drone). If a tag is dropped into a deep trench line, a concrete bunker, or heavy foliage, the ground clutter will drastically degrade that range.

Environmental & Physical Realities

• Impact Survivability: Commercial tags are designed to be dropped on a kitchen floor, not dropped from an ISR drone hovering at 100 meters. The plastic casing and internal battery contacts of a Tile or SmartTag will likely shatter or disconnect upon impact with hard ground. The tags will require custom 3D-printed, shock-absorbing TPU (Thermoplastic Polyurethane) cases or potting compound to ensure they survive the drop.
  
  
• Signal Attenuation via Mud and Water: Water is a highly effective blocker of 2.4 GHz signals. If the tag is dropped into a muddy trench or deep snow—or if it is stepped on and buried—the effective 170m range of a Tile Pro could instantly drop to just a few meters, blinding the incoming strike drone.
  
  
• Cold Weather Battery Failure: Standard commercial tags use CR2032 lithium coin cell batteries. In the freezing temperatures of a Ukrainian winter, the voltage of these civilian batteries can plummet rapidly, causing the tag to die within hours (or minutes) of being deployed in the field, long before the strike drone arrives.

Tactical & Adversarial Risks

• The “Honeypot” Ambush: If Russian forces discover the dropped tag before the strike drone arrives, they can easily exploit the tactic. An enemy soldier could toss the tag into a designated kill zone or attach it to a decoy, drawing the follow-on strike drone directly into concentrated small-arms or localized EW fire.
  
  
• Detection by Enemy TSCM: As previously noted, the active 2.4 GHz ping of the dropped tag is visible to enemy RF scanners. A tag dropped near an enemy position serves as a physical warning that they have been targeted by an ISR drone, potentially causing them to scatter, reposition, or activate localized jammers before the strike drone can engage.

Using Tags in Training

In the fast-paced environment of drone pilot training, crashes and flyaways are an inevitable part of the learning curve. For Ukrainian trainees intensively flying their training drones, losing a drone means losing a critical, expensive asset and sacrificing valuable training hours. Integrating lightweight tracking aids, such as Apple AirTags, directly onto the drone chassis ensures that downed equipment can be rapidly located and recovered. This simple, low-cost modification keeps training fleets operational, reduces replacement costs, and maximizes the time pilots spend honing their skills in the air rather than searching the ground. Because training drones are highly sensitive to weight distribution and flight dynamics, the research prioritized solutions that would not alter the aircraft’s performance or require tapping into the drone’s primary power supply.

Recommended Best Options

The primary recommendation is the Tile Pro (marketed via Tile by Life360). This device is distinguished as the highest-range Bluetooth tracker currently available and features a powerful 110db alarm.

Key Specifications:

• Weight: 12g
• Range: 500ft
• Volume: 110db
• Battery Life: 1 year

While the Tile Pro represents a strong balance of features, various alternatives exist with distinct advantages and disadvantages. These range from more economical, shorter-range Bluetooth trackers to significantly longer-range LoRa (Long Range) trackers, which typically command a higher price point and pose greater weight considerations.

Competitors Comparison

Below is a table showing the main product categories with a brief overview of the pros and cons: