1. This is an update to an earlier thread on a curious Ukrainian #drone. Not much was known then about this drone but there is now a shaky video to analyse. First, we now have a better sense of the size of this drone. It is not small.
t.me/in_factum/23000
t.me/in_factum/23000
2. A previous thread provides additional information. To a high degree, the construction appears exactly the same.
https://twitter.com/DanielR33187703/status/1734710557847040274
3. A broken prop indicates the engine was turning when this drone crashed. The rail used to hold the munition is also visible on the left.
4. The photo confirms that the engine is a DLE 170, which weighs about 4.1 kg and produces 17.5 HP. Usefully, fuel consumption estimated to be about 0.12 litres per minute (8.5 minutes per litre) at full throttle.
5. Model aircraft have a long history of using bottles for fuel tanks. This tank is a bit curious because one bottle ruptured but the remaining bottles still contain fuel. If 4L per bottle then maximum flight time is about 2 hours, easily a 200 km range.
6. The munition looks very similar to that seen previously. It is mounted on a rail under the aircraft's nose. For safety, a servo on the rear may provide a delayed arm. No idea what the heavy orange wire is for.
7. The previous drones had fixed landing gear but this one appears to be different. Instead of gear there are wedges. Perhaps these are for launching from a moving vehicle or dolly. If launching from a moving vehicle, driver must be very cool headed.
8. The fuselage is a simple, thin plastic pipe (orange is a curious colour choice). Diameter appears to be about 150 mm (6 inches). The remains of the right wing is pushed under the fuselage, confusing matters.
9. Wing construction is very interesting. Spars are two aluminum tubes, along with some wooden stringers. Foam inserts maintain the shape of the leading edge of the wing. A neat detail is that the trailing edges of wing ribs function as the hinges for the ailerons.
10. Wings contain wooden ribs and are covered with heat-shrink plastic film like that used to winterize boats. This film will provide a lot of the wing's strength. Also visible is a pitot for airspeed and another sensor (maybe digital part of pitot).
11. Overall, this aircraft is a simple but effective old-school design. It is obviously meant to be cheap and easy to make in quantity. Navigation is still a mystery but there may be a camera & antennas but it is hard to be certain.
12. Given that a number of these drones have spotted, one can speculate on what Ukraine is using them for, e.g., targeting air defense or oil storage. If you enjoyed this thread, please consider reposting as a quote: your comments are appreciated.
13. (ps) One question is, what brought this drone down? There is plenty of fuel, the engine was running and there are no signs of bullet holes. However, there are plenty of power lines and utility poles. Possibly, the right wing hit a pole or wire.
14. (ps) Here is another look at the drone after it was captured. This gives a better look at the orange wire.
15. (ps) Here is the same photo as the first one in the thread but slightly better quality.
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