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Russian Reconnaissance Drone Crashes in Türkiye for Second Time This Week
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A drone crashed in the western part of Türkiye, near the town of Manyas in the Balıkesir province, almost on the border with Greece.
The UAV was discovered by local farmers and handed over to Turkish security forces, Turkish media outlet Ilkha reported on December 20.
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According to Militarnyi, the drone is a Russian model, the “Merlin-VR,”, reportedly developed by the Smolensk Scientific Research Institute of Modern Telecommunication Technologies, is used by the Russian military for aerial reconnaissance.
The “Merlin-VR” drone, which can remain airborne for up to ten hours and reach altitudes of up to 5 km, is equipped with a powerful optical-electronic module capable of carrying a 6.5 kg payload.
The UAV’s mission was believed to involve monitoring the Black Sea area for potential threats by relaying signals, Militarnyi wrote, citing a Russian Telegram channel.
Previously, Türkiye stated that it had discovered a Russian-origin Orlan-10 unmanned aerial vehicle in the northwestern province of Kocaeli and launched an investigation into how it ended up there, according to Reuters.
Türkiye’s Interior Ministry said that initial assessments indicated the drone had been used for reconnaissance and surveillance, following its discovery in a rural area of Izmit’s Çubuklubala neighborhood.
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-dfcf915203d4f62bb1a084fd832815b8.jpeg "Ukraine’s SOF Drones Strike Russian Patrol Ship and Oil Platform in the Caspian Sea")
