Over the past decade, Russian armed forces and Russian defense industry have made strides in developing, testing and fielding domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).

While lagging behind their Western and East Asian counterparts in reach, distance and strike capability, Russia nonetheless was successful in using smaller and lighter UAV concepts for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) purposes, both at home and in conflicts abroad.

In fact, Russian Ministry of Defense (MOD) officially states that ISR remains the primary purpose for its various UAV platforms.

More specifically, the war in Eastern Ukraine showcased Russia’s use of unmanned aerial systems that enhanced Russian-allied forces’ ability to more accurately target Ukrainian opposition and gain significant advantage on the battlefield. …