Ukrainian forces secure russian Supercam S350 drone in unexpected find
Social media has exploded with photos of Ukrainian soldiers posing with an unusual find. They managed to acquire Russian equipment without a fight, and the photo clearly shows a Supercam S350 drone.
Quite often, remnants of missiles that Russians use to attack Ukrainian troops and cities are found in Ukraine. Just in August of this year, there were reports that defenders found a Kh-101 missile in one of Kyiv's ponds and remnants of a modern Kh-69 missile. In this case, the find belongs to a completely different category but should also be valuable.
Ukrainians found a Supercam S350 in a field
The Supercam S350 is often called a "flying Russian spy." This is due to the capabilities of this drone.
The Supercam S350, with a wingspan of 3.2 metres, can operate at altitudes of up to 4,900 metres. Its maximum speed is 120 kilometres per hour. Very important elements of its equipment include a camera with a resolution of 20, 24, 42, or 60 megapixels (depending on the version) and a thermal imaging camera with stabilisation.
The Russians boasted that the Supercam S350 provides up to 33x optical zoom and can remain airborne continuously for 4.5 hours. The range of this unmanned aircraft is estimated at 240 kilometres.
It is unclear what caused the Russian drone to crash. It could have landed in an unplanned location as a result of Ukrainian actions or due to an error or malfunction. Regardless of the circumstances, acquiring the Supercam S350 should ensure that the "flying Russian spy" will soon have fewer secrets from the Ukrainians.
Both sides of the ongoing war use captured equipment for analysis. In the case of the Ukrainians, this often happens with the mentioned missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles or heavy equipment such as tanks. The prime example is the thorough inspection of the best Russian tank, the T-90M, whose specifications showed it to be more of a "failure rather than a breakthrough."
