The crew of the heavy "Merlin-VR" drone of the Western Group of Forces, during aerial reconnaissance, uncovered 150 different targets, including disguised combat equipment and enemy shelters. The Russian Ministry of Defense has released footage of the UAV being prepared for launch.
The drone was delivered to the deployment site in a metal container. A serviceman attached the wings to the body of the "Merlin-VR" and secured them with bolts.
Then, the soldier checked the engine operation, the control system's functionality, and deployed the optical observation system. After ensuring that everything was working as expected, he began deploying 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 ascending 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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