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The Russian Federation has adapted the Molniya FPV drone for aerial reconnaissance — they installed Starlink and a camera with three-axis stabilization.
Main theses:
- The GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine publishes data on the adapted Russian Molniya-2R UAV in the “Weapon Components” section of the “War&Sanctions” portal.
- To do this, Russian developers integrated a Raspberry Pi 5 microcomputer into the device, as well as a Chinese Mini PC F8, labeled with the Russian brand Raskat.
War&Sanctions: GUR published data on the adapted Russian drone “Molniya”
The GUR of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine publishes an interactive diagram, components and electronic components of the Russian Molniya-2R UAV in the “Weapon Components” section of the “War&Sanctions” portal.
Previously, the Russian Defense Ministry reported on the use by Russia of an FPV kamikaze aircraft of the “Lightning” type, which was launched from a special catapult and guided to the target by an operator.
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Later, the enemy began using a modification of the “Lightning-2” with two engines on the wings, a modified fuselage, increased flight range, and a reinforced warhead.
A new adaptation of this UAV, the Molniya-2P, has now been spotted, designed for aerial reconnaissance. To do this, Russian developers integrated a Raspberry Pi 5 microcomputer into the device, as well as a Chinese Mini PC F8, branded with the Russian brand Raskat (LLC “NOVYY AY TI PROEKT”) with the Windows 11 licensed operating system installed.
In addition to the standard FPV camera, the drone received an additional Chinese SIYI ZR10 camera with ten-fold optical zoom and three-axis stabilization, which significantly expands the capabilities of observation and adjustment.
Drone “Lightning”
A Starlink satellite terminal is installed on board the Molniya-2P to transmit video signals from both cameras, telemetry, and control commands.
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A full list of components and electronic components, their markings and photos can be found at the link.