Russia is using Iranian drones Mohajer-6 for reconnaissance over the Black Sea, as well as for targeting strikes along the coastline.
This was reported by the Ministry of Defense of the United Kingdom on Twitter.
As stated in the summary, Mohajer-6 is an unmanned aerial vehicle of Iranian production, provided to Russia and observed in flight over the Black Sea and Crimea. Mohajer-6 is designed for reconnaissance, observation, target detection, but can also conduct "air-to-ground" attacks using guided free-fall munitions.
According to British intelligence, the practical range of Mohajer-6 is limited by line-of-sight to provide real-time control to the operator: approximately 200 km at an altitude of 3.3 km. This range can be extended by transferring control to another ground control station.
"The presence of drones in western Crimea is likely evidence that Russia is attempting to identify threats to Russian ports and ships following recent successes by Ukraine. There is a real possibility that their mission also includes supporting Russian efforts to target strikes on the southwestern coast of Ukraine," noted the Ministry of Defense of Britain.
Ukraine shot down at least one Mohajer-6 on September 23, 2022, over the Black Sea, while Russia likely accidentally shot down a drone over Crimea on June 6, 2023, according to the summary.
Recall that the Iranian reconnaissance-strike drones Mohajer-6, which Russia uses in the war against Ukraine, are made from household components. Therefore, the drones are significantly inferior to the counterparts of their competitors. In August 2023, Iran announced that it had created an advanced drone called the Mohajer-10 with a flight duration sufficient to reach the sworn enemy of the country, Israel.
It is claimed that the drone has a range of 2000 km and can fly for up to 24 hours. Its payload can reach 300 kg, which is twice the payload capacity of the Mohajer-6 drone.
