A plastic canister with a handle and a French thermal imager were found in an experimental Russian Merlin-BP drone

A few days ago, the Ukrainian military shot down experimental Russian drone "Merlin-VR". The drone came to volunteer Pavel Kashchuk, who took it apart and demonstrated what technological progress looks like in Russian.

What we know

"Merlin-BP was presented less than a year ago, last September. Russia claimed that the drone was a "unique solution" and a "technological breakthrough" due to the use of a hybrid propulsion system. It was assumed that by switching to electric propulsion, the enemy would not be able to detect the UAV.

As it turned out, the Merlin-BP is equipped with a simple engine that has not yet been identified. The starter-generator was purchased in China. A unique drone must have unique technology. While the "Orlan-10" uses a bottle, the "Merlin-BP" has a plastic canister with a handle as a fuel tank.

No European components were used. Like the Orlan-10, it has a French thermal imaging matrix. But in this case it is Lynred (Ulis) PICO1024 with a high resolution. An Israeli-made lens is also used.

Pavel Kashchuk stressed that there are marks on the body of the drone, which may indicate the start of mass production. It is possible that more than one Merlin-VR will appear in the sky over Ukraine.

Source: Pavel Kashchuk

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