Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
A Russian Molniya-2 fixed-wing drone equipped with a Starlink satellite internet terminal has been spotted for the first time.
Ukrainian media shared a photo of the drone on December 15. The photo was apparently taken from the live feed of an interceptor that attempted to take down the drone. The Starlink terminal was installed on top of the drone, right before the tail section.
The Molniya-2 has been nicknamed “the AK-47 Kalashnikov of drones” due to its simplicity, affordability, and battlefield effectiveness.
The drone, which is powered by two electric engines, is made out of cheap materials like plywood, aluminum tubing and plastic. It can be used for reconnaissance. However, the drone is often used in suicide attacks. For such missions, it can carry a warhead weighing three to seven kilograms.
The control system of the standard Molniya-2 is very similar to the basic ones used in first-person view (FPV) quadcopter. It includes a camera and a two-way radio data-link.
However, the reliance on a traditional radio data-link limits the operational range of the Molniya-2 to just 40 kilometers. With a Starlink terminal that can provide high-speed internet and a larger power pack, the range of the drone could increase significantly.
While Ukrainian media alleged that the Russian military has been using Starlink-equipped Molniya-2 drones for a while, it is more likely that this version is just a battlefield modification that was used a few times to hit high-value targets spotted out of the range of the standard Molniya-2.
The Molniya-2 is very easy to assemble and can be easily modified for specific missions. This high-level of flexibility has been also one of the reasons behind the success of the drone.
This year saw a significant uptake in the use of Molniya-2, with hundreds of attacks with the drone reported every month by Ukrainian and Russian media.
Efforts to further develop the Molniya-2 are already underway. Reports from September revealed that the drone could soon get a jamming-immune fiber-optic guidance system. The idea of using the drone as a carrier to deploy smaller FPV suicide quadcopter is also being tested. Ukraine is meanwhile attempting to produce its own copy of the drone.
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“enquanto isso, a ucrânia está tentando produzir sua própria cópia do drone.” ou seja, a ucrânia, marionete de israel só consegue tentar fazer cópias🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
hahaha hahaha you tell good jokes.
i’d be curious to know the details of who really owns the factories i doubt that they are really owned by the ukrainian government as representative of the people. more likely some legal deception to have them pay for it.