Ukrainian troops capture rare Russian spy drone intact
On social media, a photo of Ukrainian soldiers posing with an unusual find has emerged. They managed to acquire Russian equipment without a fight. The photo leaves no doubt that it is a Supercam S350 drone.
Quite often, remnants of missiles that Russians use to attack Ukrainian troops and cities are found in Ukraine. Just in August of this year, there were reports that defenders found a Kh-101 missile in one of Kyiv's ponds and remnants of a modern Kh-69 missile. In this case, the find belongs to a completely different category but should also be valuable.
Ukrainians found a Supercam S350 in a field
The Supercam S350 is often called a "flying Russian spy" due to its capabilities.
The Supercam S350, with a wingspan of 10.5 feet, can operate at altitudes of up to 16,000 feet. Its maximum speed is 75 mph. Key features of its equipment include a camera with a resolution of 20, 24, 42, or 60 megapixels (depending on the version) and a thermal imaging camera with stabilization.
The Russians boasted that the Supercam S350 provides up to 33x optical zoom and can remain airborne continuously for 4.5 hours. This unmanned aircraft's range is estimated at 150 miles.
It is unclear what caused the Russian drone to crash. It could have landed in an unplanned location due to Ukrainian actions, an error, or a malfunction. Regardless of the circumstances, acquiring the Supercam S350 should reveal many of the "flying Russian spy's" secrets to the Ukrainians.
Both sides of the ongoing war use captured equipment for analysis. In the case of the Ukrainians, this often happens not only with missiles but also with unmanned aerial vehicles or heavy equipment such as tanks. A prime example is the thorough inspection of the best Russian tank, the T-90M, whose specifications showed it to be more of a "failure rather than a breakthrough."
