Footage Emerges of the Deployment of the Heavy "Merlin-VR" Drone Before Launch

The UAV is launched by a catapult and carries 6.5 kilograms of payload

The crew of the heavy "Merlin-VR" drone of the Western Group of Forces, during aerial reconnaissance, uncovered 150 different targets, including camouflaged combat equipment and enemy shelters. The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation has released footage of the UAV being prepared for launch.

The drone was delivered to the deployment site in a metal container. A serviceman installed the wings on the "Merlin-VR" body and secured their position with bolts.

Then the soldier checked the engine operation, the control system's functionality, and deployed the optical observation system. After making sure that everything was working normally, he began to deploy the catapult.

Two servicemen installed the "Merlin-VR" drone on the catapult and prepared it for launch.

About the "Merlin-VR" UAV

Information about the drone appeared in the media in 2021. The "Merlin-VR" was developed at the Research Institute of Modern Telecommunication Technologies (Smolensk) for aerial monitoring.

The drone is capable of climbing to a height of up to 5 km. At the same time, it carries up to 6.5 kg of payload, including optical-location stations operating in the visible and infrared ranges.

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