Reconnaissance drone “Prince Oleg”: Ukraine's 63rd Brigade downs Russian decoy drone

With the “Prince Oleg” drone, Russia is copying Ukrainian reconnaissance drones deceptively well. The inexpensive, easy-to-repair model is said to work without satellite navigation and to be deployed in large numbers. Despite its camouflage, Ukraine's 63rd Brigade has already intercepted one of these reconnaissance drones.

Behind the aircraft lies a Russian ruse of war. Since the advent of first-person view (FPV) interceptor drones, reconnaissance drones on both sides have been heavily depleted – they are shot down in large numbers. However good a device may be, its survival in the sky is limited.

Russian drone maker NPT Ushkuynik has responded with a drone that replicates the size, shape and characteristics of the Ukrainian Valkyrie and Fury reconnaissance drones and is almost indistinguishable from them.

NPT Ushkuynik also likes to draw on history when naming its products. The company's very first product, the successful fibre-optic FPV drone, was named “Prince Vandal of Novgorod”. This time the choice fell on “Prince Oleg the Prophet”, also known as “Oleg the Wise”. Oleg lived in the early 10th century and, according to tradition, is regarded as the first Christian ruler of the Rus – at a time when the Viking gods still held sway.

Step by step, Oleg brought the towns on the Dnipro and later Kyiv under his control; he made Kyiv the capital of his newly created state, Kyivan Rus. The Ukrainian side now adds to the heroic Russian historical narrative the remark that at the time Moscow was still a swamp where frogs croaked.

What the new reconnaissance drone can do

Its characteristics roughly match those of the previous Russian reconnaissance drones Orlan, Zala and Supercam – but “Prince Oleg” is said to be many times cheaper and can therefore be produced and delivered in larger numbers. The operating radius of “Prince Oleg the Prophet” extends 30 to 45 kilometres around the launch point; in two hours the drone flies a maximum of 160 kilometres.

It does not need a satellite navigation system. Its protected channel is resistant to electronic warfare. Propulsion is provided by two electric motors and an 8S LiPo battery with a capacity of 40,000 mAh. On board is also a full-HD wide-angle camera with tenfold optical zoom.

Intercepted by the 63rd Separate Mechanised Brigade

Russia had hoped that “Prince Oleg” would slip through unnoticed thanks to its close resemblance to Ukrainian reconnaissance drones. The 63rd Separate Mechanised Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine nevertheless managed to intercept it. The video appeared online on Monday, and more and more details have emerged since.

According to the developer, the drone has been in use at the front since March; it was first captured on footage of interceptions in May. Because the Ukrainians now know the technical data, the Russian 11th Army Corps has published some technical data on the “Prince Oleg the Prophet” reconnaissance drone. The Russian news agency TASS reported on the previously unknown drone on 6 November.

The drone is described as easy to repair: if something breaks, the parts can be made with a 3D printer. Also interesting: at hardware and software level, “Prince Vandal” and “Prince Oleg” are linked. Anyone piloting the “Prince Vandal” fibre-optic FPV drone also sees the image from the “Prince Oleg” reconnaissance aircraft in parallel.

Russian analysts expect Ukraine to learn quickly to distinguish “Prince Oleg” from its own reconnaissance drones – and that the advantage of being able to slip behind the line will thus be lost.