On Friday, the government of Ukraine claimed that the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) it shot down on May 28th is a Russian-made spy drone.
The Security Service of Ukraine said in a preliminary report that the UAV is a modified “Orlan-10” drone produced in Russia. “According to preliminary expert findings, the device is one of the serial modifications of the Russian-made unmanned aerial Orlan-10 with the parachute landing system,” said the secret service.
The Orlan-10 is a component of the air reconnaissance, observation, and monitoring complex. It is used by the Russian state structures, Russian Defense Ministry, in particular, and is capable of creating base maps in 3D and managing fighting progress. “Depending on the modification and the module installed, the Orlan-10 can carry on board a thermal imager, camera, video camera, radio transmitter, [and] repeater.”
The Interfax-Ukraine reports that on Wednesday, Ukraine’s Airborne Troops and special operations military divisions shot the drone out of the sky, elaborating:
“The drone was seized. Its payload was removed. The information contained in it is being analyzed. Apart from the fuel, it was carrying a capsule filled with an unknown pungent chemical substance, which will be examined,” said the Ukrainian Defense Ministry.
If what Ukraine claims is true, the finding would verify direct Russian involvement within the ongoing hostilities in eastern Ukraine.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.