The Armed Forces of the Armed Forces were shot down by the experimental Russian drone "Merlin-Br": what is its peculiarities
The Russian Research Institute of Modern Telecommunications Technologies from Smolensk first introduced the experimental drone "Merlin-WR" in September 2021, saying that it has a hybrid engine with "low acoustic noticeability", which, if necessary, can switch to electrical draft. According to the developers, the power plant allows you to fly about 10 hours at an altitude of 5 km and lift a pay load weighing 6. 5 kg.
No information about serial production or at least UAV test was reported, but the Russian army began to use it in Ukraine. In June 2022, the Armed Forces was shot down for the first time the Merlin-BP experimental drone. Judging by a photo published by volunteer Pavel Kashchuk, the drone was struck from small arms, after which he landed on a parachute. Later, the experts disassembled the Russian Merlin-Br drone and studied its "stuffing".
There were no hybrid technologies inside, only a regular internal combustion engine with a plastic canister instead of a fuel tank. There were many foreign details for the selling under the case, the sale of which is prohibited by international sanctions. In particular, the thermal imager with the French matrix Lynred (Ulis) PICO1024, better than the Russian drones "Orlan-10", as well as the Israeli lens.
At Merlin, they noticed the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, which indicates that the drone could be launched into mass production. However, half a year of the Armed Forces, only one such apparatus was caught, unlike "eagles". This suggests that the developers are either lacking details or a particular model is not very popular in the Russian army. In December, the Ukrainian military knocked down a rare Russian outpost drone worth $ 6 million.