Molniya drone: Russia's “Lightning” made of plywood, aluminium tubes and adhesive tape

High-priced weapon systems, long delivery times, scarce availability – in this world, Russia's ongoing war of aggression against Ukraine has once again produced an outlier at the bottom end. Even in the already very cheap segment of small drones, the new Russian Molniya drone (“МОЛНИЯ”/Lightning) comes across as a minimalist.

The designer of the fixed-wing drone did not even bother with a fuselage. Instead, the basic frame consists of two aluminium tubes connected by cross members made of laser-cut plywood. The spar and ribs of the film-covered rectangular wing are also made of plywood, and the horizontal stabiliser is built identically. Three servos are enough to control the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV): one each for the two ailerons on the wings and one for the one-piece elevator. The vertical stabiliser has no control surface at all; it serves as a mount for a video transmitter.

A further detail shows how simple the design is: all three control surfaces are apparently the same size and have identical mounting and linkage points. The control electronics sit between the wings, where the batteries are also attached with adhesive tape. In front of the wings, the warhead is likewise fixed between the two aluminium tubes with adhesive tape. Right at the front, held by a plywood part, sits the electric motor with propeller.

A forward-facing video camera on the underside between the wings transmits the image a pilot uses to steer the drone with first-person view (FPV) goggles.

What the Molniya drone costs and what it can do

Counted generously, the entire structure consists of just around 15 different components – including the screws and wing nuts that fasten the wings to the aluminium rods via a plywood plate. Building it probably takes two to four man-hours. The ready-to-fly UAV with electronics and batteries probably costs less than 400 euros in materials. Yet the device carries a warhead weighing up to five kilograms over a distance of up to 30 kilometres.

Molniya attacks have been documented against vehicles and equipment, both in position and on the move, as well as against fixed military targets such as command posts in the field or in buildings.

The “Lightning” first appeared in the spring of this year, during the battle for the Krynky pocket on the left bank of the Dnipro in Kherson Oblast. Since then, the Russian side has published videos of successful missions with increasing frequency. Ukrainian footage, in turn, shows Molniyas being intercepted by FPV quadcopters or effectively jammed by Ukrainian electronic warfare.

The video above shows the new Russian Molniya drone being prepared for launch, taking off, flying and acquiring its target. It also includes scenes of countermeasures: interception with FPV drones, electronic warfare assets against Molniya, and the clearance of crashed drones by the Ukrainian demining service.