Ukrainian military releases footage of rare Russian reconnaissance drone downing

The 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade shared a video on Jan. 16 purporting to show the downing of Russian forces' rare reconnaissance drone Merlin-VR.

Throughout the full-scale invasion, drones have become pivotal for both Ukraine and Russia, used on and off the battlefield for attack and reconnaissance purposes.

"A rare bird was shot down by anti-aircraft gunners and pilots of the 63rd Brigade — a Russian experimental Merlin-VR reconnaissance drone," the brigade's statement read.

The Merlin-VR was shot down by a Ukrainian FPV (first-person-view) drone. The brigade did not specify where the air battle took place.

Russian developers presented the Merlin-VR in 2021, and the Russian army has been using it on the battlefield since 2022.

The drone reportedly has a hybrid engine, which reduces its noise while in motion. It can also fly for up to 10 hours and reach altitudes of up to 5 kilometers (3 miles).

Various aerial, naval, and ground drones have been developed and often successfully used for reconnaissance, combat, and other tasks by Ukrainian troops.

Kyiv has delivered more than 200,000 domestically-produced drones to front-line units so far in December, Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said.

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