Recently, the 414th Separate Brigade of Unmanned Systems, better known as the “Madyar’s Birds,” reported a notable success: for the first time, Ukrainian forces brought down a Russian Orion combat reconnaissance drone. This is a relatively uncommon event, as Russia has a limited number of these drones and therefore does not deploy them frequently.
“An Orion combat reconnaissance drone has just been shot down. 414th Brigade ‘Madyar’s Birds,’ Team Topot. Wingspan 16.3 meters, endurance 24 hours,” read a message posted on Robert “Madyar” Brovdi’s Telegram channel. He noted that since the start of the full-scale war, the unit has destroyed more than 1,500 enemy drones, including Orlan, Supercam, Shahed, Geran, and Lancet models. Until now, the largest drones they had taken down were the Merlin and Forpost. With this latest success, the Orion becomes the heaviest loss on their record.
The Orion drone measures 8 meters in length and has a maximum takeoff weight of around one ton. It can operate at altitudes up to 7.5 kilometers and reach speeds of up to 200 km/h. The export version is capable of carrying up to 200 kilograms of payload and has an operational range of about 250 kilometers. Brovdi also shared footage of the interception, carried out using interceptor drones.
Recently it was reported that the UK will produce interceptor drones for air-defence forces. Planned serial production could deliver hundreds – potentially thousands – of these systems per month for transfer to Ukraine. The move aims to provide a lower-cost option for countering large-scale drone attacks from Russia.
Ukrainian military intelligence also released footage showing special forces locating and successfully striking a Russian 9K317M Buk-M3 surface-to-air missile system near the village of Oleksandrivka in the temporarily occupied part of Zaporizhia region. The Buk-M3 is estimated to cost between $40–50 million, making this both a tactical and material setback for Russian forces.
Read also:
- “Drone Alliance”: EU Allocates €6 Billion for the Production of Ukrainian Drones
- Ukrainian drone manufacturer Ukrspecsystems plans to build a factory in the United Kingdom
Source: militarnyi
