A new vertical take-off aircraft was tested in Primorye in an atmosphere of complete secrecy. However, it turns out that the “sovereign drone” can be purchased online.
The head of the Primorsky Region of the Russian Federation, Oleg Kozhemyako, announced on his Telegram channel that he has begun testing a unique unmanned aerial vehicle developed by “Primorsky scientists”. The official posted a video of testing the drone in complete secrecy (everything that can be retouched in the video). According to Kozhemyako, these drones will be sent to the 55% Russian component and NVO region.
This is far from the first boom of the Russian military industry. Prior to that, other so-called “domestic developments”, such as the Dobrynya drone and the Robo-Dog with a grenade launcher, were also available for purchase on Aliexpress.
The “analogues” of the seaside drone, as it turns out, “are”
However, those who watched the video and read the message in Telegram immediately noticed the “unique model” of the Raefly VT260 drone of the Chinese company CUAV Tech, despite all the mystery. This device can be ordered already in the basic configuration at a price of $ 8,000 on Aliexpress. The coolest assembly will cost $18,000.
Curiously, the inhabitants of Primorsky Krai themselves began to mock the governor and accuse him of the classic “hack”.
And on the telegram channel of the head of the region, a real war is raging: the “turbo-patriots” accuse the critics of “Ukrainianism” and, in response, present evidence of their innocence.
It turned out not only that the body of the drone is strikingly “similar” to the Chinese model, but even the control panel itself was developed by an American company, as indicated in English on the company’s logo and the remote control itself. .
But the governor of Primorye is not ashamed of these discussions. He just states that the seashore drone was “developed according to the same principle as all UAVs of this type, and the filling inside is unique and indigenous.” True, critics are interested: “Where are the factories for the production of unique components for UAVs, located in Primorye?”
By the way, the developer of the original CUAV Tech opposes the war with Ukraine and directly prohibits the use of purchased drones for military purposes.
“Dobrynya” and “Robot Dog” with Aliexpress
This is not the first time that Russian officials have been in trouble by bragging about “domestic product”. Relatively recently, a “sovereign drone” was introduced in the Russian Federation under the proud name “Dobrynya”. It was allegedly developed by the Almaz-Antey company in “only four months”, but upon closer inspection, it turned out to be an ordinary iFlight Nazgul5 Evoque F5 F5X drone, which was sold for $ 600 on Aliexpress and other Chinese platforms.
The drone comes with a Hoshi Radiomaster for $70. The only “native” in it, perhaps, was a sticker with a Russian name and a slightly tuned case. In the Russian army, these unmanned aerial vehicles are planned to be purchased for 2 thousand dollars each. That is, the Ministry of Defense of Russia (more precisely, some of its representatives) will receive 300% of the profit. Meanwhile, Almaz-Antey is headed by Putin’s personal friend, Sergei Chemezov.
But “turbo-patriots” criticize the drone not only for its “added value”, but also for its characteristics – they say that it is not suitable for the front.
The universal “Robo-dog” turned out to be a Chinese toy, which you can buy on the same Aliexpress. It was shown at the exhibition Army-2022 and, as the developers noted, the combat robot has the ability to fire from an anti-tank grenade launcher or carry ammunition on its back.
The Russian company “Mntellekt Mashin” plans to supply these robot dogs to the army for 1 million rubles per copy. True, a “unique” robo-dog can be bought on Aliexpress with prices starting from $ 2.5 thousand. This model is called Go1 and is produced by Unitree as a toy for the home. The set does not include a grenade launcher, and the “Robo-Dog” in general is not designed for walking down the street because the model only takes half an hour to charge.
Previously Focus He wrote that in Ukraine there was a truly unique development – the Leleka-100 UAV once again headed to the front to defeat the invaders.
Source: Focus
Ashley Fitzgerald is an accomplished journalist in the field of technology. She currently works as a writer at 24 news breaker. With a deep understanding of the latest technology developments, Ashley’s writing provides readers with insightful analysis and unique perspectives on the industry.