Russian forces mistakenly down own Supercam drone near the Ukraine border
The Russians continue to shoot down their weapons inadvertently. In the Belgorod region, a territorial unit stationed on the border with Ukraine "accidentally shot down its own Supercam drone," reports the Military news profile on platform X. We explain this structure.
5:46 PM EDT, June 24, 2024
On Russian Federation territory, various types of ammunition belonging to the Russian army have fallen for many months. This is often the result of malfunctions in equipment fired toward Ukraine, causing them not to reach their designated targets and crash within Russian borders.
However, Russian forces are frequently responsible for the destruction of their weaponry. Recent examples can be found from earlier this year. In March, Russian air defense systems shot down their own Kh-101 missile. Shortly afterward, in June, the Russians reported a crash of a valuable Ka-29 helicopter. It crashed over the Black Sea, and it was not the Ukrainians but rather the allied Pantsir-S1 system that caused its destruction.
The list of losses the Russians have suffered due to friendly fire grows with another weapon incident. Right on the border with Ukraine, a Supercam drone was accidentally shot down by Russian soldiers guarding the border in the Belgorod region.
Russian Supercam drone
The Supercam is a Russian-made drone, but it is generally much less popular than the Shahed-136 drones from Iran, which are regularly used in the conflict (known in Russia as Geran-2). This is because the Supercam drones produced by the Russian company Unnamed Systems Group have a completely different purpose – they were created as tools for aerial surveillance and aerial photography.
The flight time of the S350 variant (with higher flight endurance and range) can reach 4.5 hours. During this time, the drone can transmit video images within a range of 62 miles. The maximum altitude the Supercam S350 can get is 16,000 feet, with a maximum range of approximately 149 miles. The significant data transmission range lets the drone observe state borders or critical enemy positions. It can be assumed that the drone shot down by the Russians was either being used to observe the border with Ukraine or heading toward Ukrainian positions for aerial observation.
The Supercam S350 can perform a fully automated flight and thus does not require pilot support. While airborne, it primarily uses a camera (20-60 MP, depending on the version) and a thermal camera with stabilization for observation. Additionally, the camera has a 33x optical zoom to provide more accurate views of the enemy.
