Operators of Russian Molniya drones have started modifying the design of the aircraft directly before combat sorties. Crews abandoned the fuselage mount, which allowed them to reduce the drone's weight.
A Zvezda correspondent noted that when preparing Molniya drones, soldiers consider every gram, as reducing weight expands the aircraft's capabilities when performing a combat mission.
Recently, soldiers have even been abandoning the fuselage mount – this allows them to lighten the aircraft by almost a kilogram and increase its capabilities.
After modification, operators reflash the control system, check the equipment, and select the combat load for a specific target.
Before this, Molniya drones, after abandoning Starlink satellite communication terminals, switched to using mesh modems with an operating range of 1300–1500 MHz and channels with a power of 5 W.
The built-in autopilot mode on Molniya drones allows them to continue flying and perform the task even when attempts are made to jam communication.