Russia faces a shortage of domestic Orlan-10 UAVs - The Washington Post

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, russia has been actively using domestic Orlan-10 drones, which are designed for reconnaissance, surveillance and fire control and, in some cases, for electronic warfare. But now it seems that russia has a shortage of them, which undoubtedly affects the combat effectiveness of the russian army and plays into the hands of the Ukrainian armed forces' fighters.

Here's What We Know

The Washington Post, whose journalists talked to Ukrainian servicemen, writes that now the Orlan-10s hardly ever appear in the sky of Ukraine. They used to fly mostly in pairs - one for reconnaissance and one to correct artillery strikes. But by the summer, hearing or seeing one, much less two, had become increasingly rare.

It is not yet clear exactly how many of them were left. But the fact that other UAVs are being used instead of the Eagles is a sign of scarcity. By the way, back in September the RF Ministry of Defense confirmed that the domestic armament specialists are not able to meet the developed "appropriate tactical and technical requirements for unmanned aerial vehicles".

And what is there to make these drones out of? They depend on microelectronic components made in the US, Europe, and Asia, and because of sanctions Russia cannot buy them.

The paper notes that Russia's failures are not only due to a lack of equipment. Combat operations using drones require not only advanced equipment, but also modern thinking for decision-making. Russia's rigid chain of command requires soldiers on the ground to get top-level approval for strikes. Thus, even when a Russian reconnaissance drone spots a target, by the time the go-ahead is given, the target has often already moved.

Source: The Washington Post