Remember when Ukrainian troops shot down one of Russia's best drones?

In October 2024, the Ukrainian Air Assault Force published images of an advanced spy drone that it claimed was taken out by its troopers fighting in the Kursk region of Russia.  

Paratroopers from Ukraine's 80th Separate Galician Air Assault Brigade allegedly shot down an Orion drone, one of Russia's newest and most advanced unmanned aerial vehicles, in the Kursk region during the ongoing Ukrainian invasion of the Russian Oblast. 

Photo Credit: Telegram @ua_dshv

The Ukrainian military news website Militarnyi reported on the incident and noted that the Orion was the newest reconnaissance drone in the Russian drone fleet. 

In the Photo: Orion / Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Nickel nitride - Own work, CC0,

Russia's Orion drone program includes not only the original Orion drone but also the Orion-2 Helios model (a larger version original drone), as well as an upgraded variant of the unmanned aerial vehicle called the Sirius. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Jin, CC BY-SA 4.0

The Orion drone has a maximum takeoff weight range of roughly one ton and can fly for about 30 hours before it needs to land. These two capabilities make it a perfect weapon for both reconnaissance and offensive strikes on enemy targets. 

Flying at a maximum altitude of 8,000 meters or about 26,000 feet, the Orion can carry a payload of up to 200 kilograms or about 4400 pounds of munitions, which can include guided missiles specifically designed to be used by drones and air-to-ground weapons.

“An unmanned aerial vehicle of this type is dangerous because it can not only conduct aerial reconnaissance, but also, armed with four air-to-ground missiles, is capable of striking ground targets,” the 80th Brigade explained according to Militarnyi.

Militarnyi reported that the Kh-50 guided small-gun aircraft missile, a weapon made for use by unmanned systems like the Orion, and the KAB-20 guided bombs and anti-tank missile systems known to be paired with the Orion drone.

Autorstwa Nickel nitride - Praca własna, CC0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=93658676

Images from the footage of the crash site showed that the Orion drone downed by the 80th Brigade was equipped with Kh-BPLA missiles, more specifically the drone was carrying the TKB-1030 according to Militarnyi

Photo Credit: Telegram @ua_dshv

“The warhead of the Kh-BPLA is an aviation version of the Kornet anti-tank missile system, which allows the drone to hit even heavy armored vehicles,” Militarnyi reported.

Photo Credit: Telegram @ua_dshv

Ukrainian forces used a Strela-10 anti-aircraft missile system to take down the Orion drone, which is a short-range surface-to-air missile defense system developed by the Russians according to Army Recognition. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0

Upgraded Strela-10 systems have proven to be very effective against Russian drones according to Defense Express, which reported in August 2024 on a similar downing of a Russian drone that was shot out of the sky by Ukrainian forces using a Strela-10.

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Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Vitaly V. Kuzmin, CC BY-SA 4.0