Russia will soon deploy a new kamikaze drone in Ukraine for combat and reconnaissance missions.
The Oko Design Bureau’s Privet-82 has a flight range of 30 kilometers (19 miles) and can carry a payload of 5 kilograms (11 pounds).
A low cost of 100,000 roubles ($1,300) allows for mass deployment of the drone.
Test flights of the Privet-82 have been completed, paving the way for the first batch to be deployed in Ukraine within a month.
Launched Away From Frontline
The Privet-82 will be launched from a single hub 15 to 20 kilometers (9 to 12 miles) away from the front line, obviating the need to store drones and catapults near the border.
Having the drone hub away from the front line also allows it to house multiple drones.
“Since our drone has a long range, about 30 kilometers, we can be based not on the line of contact, but in the rear,” Oko Design Bureau general director Vadim Zhernov told state-owned RIA Novosti.
“That is, the launch of the UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) is carried out 15-20 kilometers from the front line from a launch point that can serve several units at the same time.”
Mid-Air Transfer of Control
He added that the drone also allows for the transfer of control to another operator mid-flight.
“…the drone goes this transit section of the route in complete radio silence, does not emit anything, goes with the video transmitter turned off so that the enemy cannot intercept it,” Zhernov said.
Meanwhile, the Oko Design Bureau has also begun developing an upgraded version with a flight range of 250 kilometers (155 miles) and a payload capacity of 16 kilograms (35 pounds).