Reconnaissance drone Molniya-2R: Russia flies with Windows 11 and Starlink

What images already suggested has now been confirmed by the latest analysis: the reconnaissance drone of the “Lightning” family captured by Ukraine, officially called Molniya-2R, runs on the Windows 11 operating system. It also carries a Starlink terminal from SpaceX, Elon Musk's US space and telecommunications company.

The Starlink Mini Kit UTA-231, an all-in-one system, makes high-speed internet available almost anywhere. Russia is now increasingly using this “reliable internet connection” (Starlink's own words) in its war of aggression against Ukraine.

SpaceX also advertises versatile power supply options. This is precisely what makes the terminal ideal for installation in a low-cost COTS (commercial off-the-shelf) reconnaissance drone. The remaining components also show how consistently COTS is relied on here: computing power comes from a Raspberry Pi 5 from the UK and a Raskat Start 107 minicomputer based on a Chinese F8 mini PC. The entire system runs on Windows 11.

Why Russia economises on the reconnaissance drone

Behind the low-cost solution lies the enormously increased consumption of reconnaissance drones. Ukraine can now deliver around 950 interceptor drones per day to its drone pilots, and they are having an effect. Russian sources report a considerable shortage of tactical reconnaissance drones because of high losses at the front. Yet with Orlan-10/30, Zala and Supercam, Russia has manufacturers with large production capacities. Smaller producers such as ALB-Aero with the Albatros M5 are also meant to close the gaps.

Apparently this is not enough. Reconnaissance drones are increasingly becoming single-use devices. Several attempts have been made to protect the systems with rear-facing cameras and partly automated evasion mechanisms. These have at times produced spectacular “drone dogfights”, but no decisive success so far. The interceptor drones are more agile and faster.

The Molniya-2R is derived from the extremely low-cost and easy-to-produce plywood drone Molniya-2.

The pilot uses a fixed first-person view (FPV) camera. There is also a three-axis stabilised gimbal camera with 2K resolution, tenfold optical and 30-fold digital zoom. This camera unit, called ZR10, is freely available through Chinese mail order; with a tracking module it costs around 800 euros.

The Starlink Mini Kit including licence costs about 300 euros, the sensor payload around 800 euros and the two mini PCs with Windows 11 licences together about 510 euros. Even with further components, the reconnaissance drone thus costs well under 10,000 euros. Its range is said to be up to 40 kilometres.

Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian expert in communications technology and electromagnetic warfare, recently pointed out that Starlink terminals are being used more and more frequently by the Russian armed forces.