1. Various russian news outlets showed detailed images of a #drone captured by russia's armed forces. It turns out the drone is russian not #Ukrainian. Oops.
2. This drone has a number of distinguishing design features that identify who made it. The fuselage is made from plywood using rather nice joints and the fuel tank is slung underneath in an open frame. We seen this style of aircraft previously.
3. On December 7, 2023 I posted a thread on larger but similar russian drones. These had similarly designed and constructed plywood fuselages (note the joints). One drone also had the fuel tank slung underneath in an open frame.
4. The (2024) aircraft use a V-tail made from translucent corrugated plastic that includes stiffeners. The tail is attached to a square aluminum tube that is slotted into the main fuselage and secured with a wingnut. This design is very familiar.
5. The design of the V-tail and aluminum tube is almost identical to the previously-seen aircraft shown here. Both aircraft also use the same style of connector for the servos.
6. Here is a trophy drone hanging from a ceiling. Wings have a translucent amber covering that has been clumsily wrapped in aluminum foil. The foil is to reflect radar. This drone does not have landing gear. Instead, it is launched from a rail using 4 lugs.
7. The lugs slide into slots on a launch rail (very likely exactly this launch rail). The background drone uses similar construction techniques as the foil-wrapped V-tail drone.
8. The electronics are off-the-shelf. There is an ignition system, radio control (ELRS) receiver, flight controller, GPS, pitot, power distribution (UBEC) and a battery. The engine is a Chinese NGH model GF38 making 3.6 HP. Explosives folks, please comment on the white lumps.
9. Flight controller is a model V5+ made by CUAV and is compatible with PX4 and ArduPilot firmware. The controller with the NEO 3 GPS receiver costs about US$425. There is a lot of relevant information available online including product reviews.
10. As expected, the larger drones (flown in mid 2023) use the same flight controller. Wings have a span of exactly 227 cm and are held on with a simple clamp. Unfortunately, there is not a good view of the telemetry radio.
11. However, the dual antennas and size suggest it is a model RFD900A telemetry radio. This is bidirectional, thus the 2 antennas. These are available from various sources. One supplier claims a range of 40 km.
12. The drone manufacturer is the Center for Autonomous Robotic Systems. It is run by Ales Sergeevich Loginov who is also the Deputy Director of Aviation Industry. He is shown here in the middle. For fun, check the sanctions lists for these names.
13. Apparently, the drone business in russia is good because the company has a number of job openings. These ads tell a lot about what they are doing, e.g., development of 3D CAD models for UAVs and production.
царс.рф
14. The drones are developed, and possibly made, in the Rudnevo Industrial Park, which is 20 km from the Kremlin. This is a very high-profile facility.
15. These drones are intended to show the location of Ukraine’s air defenses. They fly around until shot down, and the telemetry tells the russians the location. However, russian news reports enables one to work out the size, weight, speed, duration & radio range of this drone. This is useful information for Ukraine’s defenders.
16. It would be swell if russian media (RT) would show the telemetry radio. Otherwise, what else is there to know about this drone? The name of the person who assembled it? (it’s, “Ivan”) The name of Ivan’s childhood dog? (also, “Ivan”) Link to video:
t.me/in_factum/23738
17. If you enjoyed this thread, please repost as a quote. Respectful comments are always welcome and appreciated.
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