Russian military specialists have reported uncovering elements of technology derived from the US Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Mars program within Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
According to sources, Russian experts have identified batteries and aluminum alloys similar to those employed by NASA in the Mars program during their analysis of UAVs seized from Ukraine. Dmitry Kuzyakin, General Director of the Center for Development of Integrated Unmanned Solutions (CDIUS), confirmed the discovery to Sputnik news agency. The CDIUS is responsible for overseeing the complete lifecycle of first-person UAV (FPV) applications, including drone manufacturing, training, and operational control.
Mr. Kuzyakin revealed that upon inspecting one of the initial FPVs obtained from Ukraine, they discovered a battery resembling the one utilized in NASA’s Mars mission. This led to the speculation that Ukraine may have collaborated with American partners in assembling these FPVs. These high-cost batteries are typically employed in UAVs during harsh winter conditions. Furthermore, Mr. Kuzyakin highlighted the discovery of aluminum alloys akin to those employed in the US space program within confiscated Ukrainian UAVs. He emphasized that while these alloys are crucial in space applications, they serve no practical purpose in conventional UAVs.
Explaining further, he elaborated on the composition of the aluminum alloy, comprising 70% conventional alloys and 30% specialized additives designed to stabilize the metal under vacuum conditions. This raised questions about the necessity of such advanced materials in manual FPVs. However, Mr. Kuzyakin noted that this investigation provided valuable insights and data to Russian engineers despite the unconventional use of materials in the UAVs.
