Russia is actively using Molniya and Phoenix attack and reconnaissance drones in the war against Ukraine. However, their effectiveness largely depends on imported components, mainly produced in China, the USA, Switzerland and other countries.
Points of attention
- Russian drones Molniya and Phoenix are actively used in the war with Ukraine, but their effectiveness depends on imported components from China, the USA, Switzerland and other countries.
- The Molniya drone has a range of up to 40 km and is used for attacks on military facilities and civilian infrastructure, which poses a danger to the civilian population.
- Ukrainian intelligence has discovered that the Russian Federation is massively using 'plywood drones' as decoys in air attacks, which indicates the low independence of the importer in technological production.
- The use of imported components in Russian drones indicates the circumvention of international sanctions and the possibility of exporting parts through third countries for the production of weapons.
- Russian drones Molniya and Phoenix have a complex electronic filling with imported components from manufacturers from China, the USA, Switzerland and other countries.
What is known about the Russian UAVs "Molniya" and "Phoenix"
As reported by GUR, the "Molniya" drone has a range of up to 40 km and can carry a warhead weighing up to 5 kg. It is launched from a special catapult, and control is provided by the operator, which makes it similar to FPV drones.
In addition to attacks on military targets, "Lightning" is regularly used to attack civilian infrastructure. In November, such drones struck a residential building and a shopping center in Kharkiv, as a result of which civilians were injured. This indicates their use for terror against the population.
According to GUR, the design of the drone is simple, and the main components are made in China. Among them:
SpeedyBee flight controllers,
FATJAY electric motors,
Caddx cameras.
Elements from the Chinese companies Huayi Microelectronics and Trex Technologies were also discovered. Swiss STMicroelectronics microcontrollers, American Vishay converters and Japanese Rubycon capacitors are used in key systems.
Instead, the Phoenix is a reconnaissance drone that is positioned as an improved version of the Orlan-10. Its electronic "stuffing" also includes imported components, including:
details from the USA , Switzerland , China , the Netherlands and Taiwan ,
seven key systems contain components from the Swiss company STMicroelectronics .
Russia continues to use imported high-tech components, despite international sanctions that should limit access to such goods. According to GUR, manufacturers whose parts are found in drones may not be involved in their supply. The components could get to the Russian Federation through third countries or forged documentation.
The Russian Federation massively launches "plywood drones" in Ukraine
As noted in Ukrainian intelligence, the "parody" is one of the main decoy drones that the aggressor uses en masse in air attacks.
On November 10, 2024, two such drones fell on the territory of Moldova.
It is noted that these UAVs do not have a combat unit. They are much smaller and cheaper than the Shahed-136/Geranium-2, but due to the Lüneberg lens they mimic them in radar.
In other words, the study of Russian "parodies" proved that even a primitive "plywood" drone is not capable of being produced by Russia on its own, the GUR noted.
The "parody" flight controller module contains components manufactured by companies from China (Ebyte, Jiashan Jinchang Electron, Yangzhou Yangjie Electronic Technology), USA (Texas Instruments, Cypress Semiconductor, InvenSense), Switzerland (STMicroelectronics) and Taiwan (SONiX Technology).
