Russian drone with American parts: what was found inside the downed Orion UAV (photo)

Share: Ukrainian specialists dismantled the downed Orion attack and reconnaissance drone. It turned out that despite the airframe's Russian origin, almost all of its internal construction is based on foreign spare parts, mostly American-made. The analysis was conducted by experts of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. The results of the analysis of the components were published on the official website of the GUR. As militarniy.

com writes, this is another example of the dependence of the Russian military industry on Western technologies in the creation of modern drones. Despite the Russian Federation's claims of "completely domestic" development, the internal layout of the drone is, in fact, a designer made of foreign parts. Russian components make up only a small part. Many key elements of electronics are produced by US companies.

The disassembly also identified transistors from Germany's Infineon Technologies, flash memory and a 32-bit processor from Switzerland, a French-made transistor and a DC power line filter from Japan. The glider itself (fuselage and general structure), which is produced by JSC Kronstadt, and the APD-115T aviation piston engine turned out to be Russian-made in Orion. However, even in Russian nodes, the key elements are foreign.

For example, in the gyro-stabilized optical-electronic guidance system (MOES) from NVK SPP JSC, all internal components are imported. However, the variable pitch propeller is produced by NVP Aerosila JSC, and the generator drive reducer is made by Reductor-PM JSC, both manufacturers are based in the Russian Federation. "Orion" (also known as "Inokhodets") is a Russian MALE (medium-altitude, long-range) class strike-reconnaissance UAV, an analogue of the Turkish Bayraktar TB2.

It is designed for conducting aerial reconnaissance and striking ground targets with the help of guided missiles and bombs. Dependence on imported parts is rather a weak point of the military industry of the Russian Federation. But the very fact that the aggressor continues to gain access to Western technologies to circumvent sanctions is dangerous.