A rare Russian drone worth $15 million was destroyed in Donetsk Oblast. This reveals Moscow‘s continued access of restricted Western technology.
Ukrainian intelligence discovered Western-made parts in Russia’s advanced S-70 Okhotnik drone, which was shot down for the very first time in the Donetsk area on 5 October. Despite international sanctions the $15 million aircraft was equipped with electronics from major US manufacturers such as Analog Devices and Texas Instruments.
The discovery highlights Russia’s ability to acquire Western technologies despite sanctions imposed following its 2022 invasion in Ukraine. Moscow continues to import sensitive military components via third-country imports, and shell companies. This highlights the difficulty of enforcing export controls.
The S-70 UAV, among other things is a carrier for UMPB D–30 aerial weapons, which the Russians use to destroy Ukraine’s civil infrastructure, Ukrainian intelligence officials said.
Only a few S-70 Okhotniks (“Hunters”) exist, each with a 65-foot wingspan. The drone was developed by Sukhoi in the last decade and is designed to penetrate air defences with its reduced radar cross section design.
A video from Kostiantynivka, Donetsk Oblast, showed an arrow-shaped drone getting hit by an air to air missile fired from an unidentified aircraft. The drone was so large that it crashed near residential buildings. At first, witnesses thought it was a downed Russian aircraft.
Analysts speculate that while the details of the interception are still unclear, the shooter may have been either Ukrainian forces or, if there was a malfunction with the drone, Russian forces who prevented its intact capture.
Read More @ euromaidanpress.com