An interesting reconnaissance drone was captured, almost intact, by the pro-Russia separatists in Ukraine.
Along with the Su-25, Su-27 and Mil Mi-24, the Ukrainian Air Force is operating its fleet of recently restored Soviet-era reconnaissance drones.
Among them, at least until Aug. 1, even one Tu-143 Reys, a type of drone developed from Tu-141, that pro-Russia separatists found almost intact in a field.
The Tu-143 is quite similar to the Tu-141, even though substantially smaller. It has an operative range of about 60 – 70 kilometers and a low-level flight capability.
David Cenciotti is a freelance journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written four books.
MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems) are a serious threat in Ukraine and elsewhere. Reportedly filmed near Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, the following footage shows an Ukrainian Ilyushin Il-76 releasing plenty of flares during the […]
The story of Viktor Belenko, a Mig-25 pilot who defected to the United States via Japan on Sept. 6, 1976. The then Lieutenant Belenko was a pilot with the 513th Fighter Regiment, 11th Air Army, […]
The United States intensified its ISR (Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance) presence in the Black Sea after Kerch Strait incident. Here’s an analysis. Following the incident in the Kerch Strait near Crimea in the morning of Nov. […]
This website makes use of cookies, both proprietary or by third part, in order to improve your browsing experience. For more information check our cookies policy.
By closing this message, proceed surfing or using this website, you accept to use cookies. Don’t show this again
