At the international aviation exhibition Aero India 2023 in India, Russia’s newest Orlan-30 reconnaissance drone will make its debut. Russia frequently employs the Orlan UAV variant in Ukraine to collect intelligence on the Ukrainian military.
The newest Orlan-30 reconnaissance drone will be on display for the first time by Russia’s state-owned armaments company Rosoboronexport during the Aero international air show in India in 2023.
newest Orlan-30 UAV made its debut at the international air show in India.
The Aero India 2023 exhibition, which will be held from February 13 to February 17 at Yelahanka Air Base in the Indian state of Bangalore, will feature a number of weaponry on display.
Orlan unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which are frequently deployed in Ukraine to gather intel on Ukrainain military, will be on exhibit by Rosoboronexport.
Rosoboronexport said in a press statement that visitors to the company’s exhibit are welcome to learn about Russian unmanned aerial vehicles, such as the Orion-E attack and surveillance aircraft as well as the Orlan-10E and Orlan-30 reconnaissance aircraft.
About 200 models of Russia’s most innovative weapons and military hardware will be on display in India thanks to Rosoboronexport. The fifth-generation multirole fighter Su-75 Checkmate and the stealth aircraft Su-57 Felon will be part of this arsenal.
Alexander Mikheyev, CEO of Rosoboronexport, further stated that the company is supplying India with new high-tech research and production projects at the facilities of Indian businesses ahead of the Aero India 2023 international aviation show.
The military-technical alliance between Russia and India, which has numerous finished and ongoing cooperation projects, is an example of an industrial connection, according to Mikheyev.
According to Mikheyev, as part of the “Made in India” national initiative, Rosoboronexport is providing new prospects for collaboration in the creation and joint manufacturing of high-tech goods at Indian enterprises that adhere to all localization and technology transfer standards.
Along with the Orlan-30 unmanned aerial vehicle, the MiG-35D, Su-35 multirole front-line fighters, Il-76MD-90A(E) military transport aircraft, Il-78MK-90A aerial refuelling aircraft, and more At Aero India 2023, the incredibly agile Su-30SME will also be on display.
In order to advance the Su-75 Checkmate light tactical aircraft project, the report states that Russia is looking to collaborate with India.
Russian Orlan UAV system operating against Ukraine
The Russian Special Technology Center created the Orlan-30 UAV system. This UAV is the successor model to the Orlan-10 UAV, a Russian state media reports that UAV boasts great demand on the international market.
The Russian military’s activities in Ukraine have shown the importance of the Orlan UAV series. These UAVs have been able to locate Ukrainian forces for the Russian military to conduct artillery, missile, and artillery attacks by identifying and tracking Ukrainian soldiers and vehicles from a medium height.
In order to successfully intercept and neutralise opponent air defence missions, Russia also utilises Orlan UAVs in Ukraine.
The Russian artillery can only react in 3 minutes after the UAV identifies the target, leaving the enemy almost little time to escape the “death zone” as it hovers over the position of the Ukrainian army.
In the absence of UAVs, the reaction time, which would give Ukrainian soldiers 20 minutes to retreat, could be much longer. Experts determined that because both sides’ military strategies mainly relied on artillery fire, the presence or absence of Russian UAVs in Ukraine had a significant impact on how lethal Russia was.
The Ukrainian military was the first to successfully seize a Russian Orlan-30 UAV on the battlefield in April 2022. According to reports, Ukraine shot down the Orlan-30, a contemporary Russian reconnaissance drone, in August 2022.
The Orlan-30 UAV is made to carry out airborne surveillance, find, and recognise objects in the infrared or visible spectrum.
The Orlan-30 UAV has a maximum speed of 170 km/h, a 5-kilometer maximum altitude, and a 5-hour flight time.
The fundamental distinction between the Orlan-30 UAV and the Orlan-10 UAV is the presence of a laser target-specific rangefinder. The aircraft can precisely locate and strike the target using this device’s ability to shoot a laser beam at it.
