Kamikaze drone Molniya-2: Russia reports use of upgraded plywood drone near Kharkiv

Via RIA Novosti, Russia announced this week that the new first-person view (FPV) drone “Molniya-2” had been used – the target of the attack was Kharkiv Oblast. Even in its upgraded version, the Molniya kamikaze drone relies above all on simplicity.

Kamikaze drone with two motors instead of one in the nose

Aluminium rods and plywood still form the basic structure. New is a plastic fairing enclosing the fuselage. The propulsion has also been redesigned: the previous single electric motor in the nose has been replaced by two electric motors whose propellers sit in nacelles beneath the wings.

In its new version, the plywood drone known as “Lightning” is likely to deliver somewhat more performance. According to the Russian side, it carries a warhead of five to seven kilograms and has a range of up to 40 kilometres.

According to the Russian source, it uses electronics from China. The fixed-wing drone is steered via FPV goggles (first-person view). Given the stated distance, it is likely that a “repeater” flies along – an airborne radio relay station.