UAV Orlan-10 was caught alive because it flew off course

Despite its superior power compared to similar Israeli products, the Orlan-10 UAV was not only shot down but also captured alive on the battlefield.

Free Syrian Army (FSA) fighters said they had captured a Russian Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in Hama province, Syria when the aircraft went astray.

After information and images of the Orlan-10 seizure were made public by the FSA, Russia has yet to comment on the incident. And if this information is confirmed, this is the second loss in Syria out of at least three times with this UAV in actual combat.

The Orlan-10 was captured by FSA forces.

It is known that in late 2014, an Orlan-10 was also shot down by Ukrainian special forces in the Donetsk region, northeastern part of the country. According to Interfax - Ukraine news agency, the country's military special forces shot down a drone believed to be the Russian-made Orlan-10.

Speaking to Interfax, a spokesman for the Ukrainian Security Service said that initial preliminary analysis by special forces showed that the aircraft they had just shot down was a configuration of the Russian-made Orlan-10 UAV.

"Orlan-10 is a component of the Russian Army's airborne surveillance and reconnaissance. It is capable of 3D mapping and handling combat operations. Due to its modular design, Orlan-10 can carry thermal imaging cameras, cameras, video recorders and radio transceivers," the Ukrainian spokesman said.

According to reports, soldiers of the Ukrainian special forces and airborne units conducted military operations in the northeastern part of the country and detected and shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle in the area.

The press release of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense stated that they had seized the aircraft and removed its payload. More detailed information about the aircraft's structure, although analyzed, was not made public by Kiev.

Orlan-10 is a UAV with a flight speed of 75-170 km/h, a controllable operating radius of 180-200 km, a flight ceiling of 5,000 m, and can operate continuously for 16-18 hours. With this flight range, the Russian manufacturer asserts that the range of this UAV is much greater than the much larger Israeli Searcher.

The aircraft is capable of flying automatically and taking pictures. Just enter the coordinates and altitude and the aircraft will automatically fly to the location via the GLONASS or GPS global positioning system, collect information and then bring it back if it exceeds the communication range of the control station.

Clip of Orlan-10 captured alive in Aleppo in early 2016:

According to Baodatviet