Russian Forces to Test New Composite Kamikaze Drone in Special Op Zone

The Russian Armed Forces have been skillfully using unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) during the special military operation to accomplish tasks without casualties.

Kamikaze drones with folding wings - the 'BAS-80' - assembled from composite materials, have been handed over to the military for testing in the special operation zone in Ukraine, Evgeny Dudurov, managing director of NPO Android Technics - the enterprise developer of the drone - said.

"We handed over some of our BAS-80s to the Tsar's Wolves brigade so that our colleagues could find the best ways to use them in pilot combat operations and also recommend which components are better to install depending on the operating conditions," he said.

Dudorov noted that the use of composite materials (the UAV is made of carbon or fiberglass) made the 'BAS-80' as light and compact as possible. The weight of the drone is 1.7kg and thanks to the fact that it has folding wings, it can be stored in a tube carried by the operator.

The drone is launched with a powder charge. The 'BAS-80' payload is 500 grams, with the possibility of its being increased to up to 2kg. According to the agency's interlocutor, tests on the kamikaze drone are going well. During the course of the tests, the 'BAS-80' showed off its technical characteristics, including a maximum speed of up to 130 kilometers per hour, a flight altitude of up to 200 meters, and a range of up to 30km.