Attack and reconnaissance UAVs are armed with surface-to-air missiles and guided bombs.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down Russian drones “Orion” and “Orlan-10”. The press service of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine announced this in a morning summary posted on Facebook on February 10.
On February 9, air defense forces shot down three enemy aircraft over Ukraine: two Orlan-10 and one Orion. The Air Force press service on Telegram added that Orion was shot in the sky over the Kherson region at around 15:00. Ukrainian air defense rarely shoots such drones.
Reconnaissance and attack aircraft “Orion” is designed for reconnaissance and surveillance using onboard cameras. It can also attack ground targets with guided missiles and aerial bombs.
They are produced by the Russian defense company Kronstadt and are positioned as a counterpart of the Turkish Bayraktar. The company produces aircraft of various modifications, the Russian army version is called “Orion-E” or “Pacer”. In addition to ammunition, they are equipped with various reconnaissance loads: air-to-ground missiles, KAB-20, KAB-50 guided bombs or UPAB-50 guided bombs.
“Orions” can be distinguished from other Russian UAVs by a white “hood” in the front of the fuselage – there is a satellite communication module for missions at long distances. Thanks to this equipment, they do not need continuous signal exchange with the ground control station.
Known characteristics of the “Orion-E” (“Pacer”) aircraft
- Speed - up to 200 km / h
- Flight range – 250 km
- Maximum flight time: 24 hours
- Maximum flight altitude – 7.5 km
- Communication range: 250-300 km
- Takeoff weight – 1000 kg
- Maximum load weight – 200 kg
The last known case of Orion drone downing occurred in December 2022. According to the “Southern” Air Command, it was supposed to attack targets in the Kherson area.
Before that, they wrote how the Russian Orion UAV is more dangerous than the Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones. They can hit multiple targets in a single sortie and climb to considerable heights.
Source: Focus
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