Third Time’s a Charm: Ukraine Downs Russia’s Most Expensive “Merlin-VR” Recon Drone, Video

Ukrainian air defense units from the 63rd Separate Mechanized Brigade have shot down Russia’s most expensive reconnaissance drone, the “Merlin-VR”, for the third time, the brigade reported on April 29.

In addition to taking out the high-value UAV, pilots from Ukraine’s Army Aviation destroyed a Russian UAZ off-road vehicle, a motorcycle, a van, three artillery pieces, and six mortars. According to the brigade, a total of 13 enemy targets were eliminated during recent operations.

“Even if some of these were decoys, which the Russians have started using more often, they should know this—we have enough drones to destroy everything and still have some left to fly straight into each of their heads twice over,” the Ukrainian military said in a statement.

The Merlin-VR drone, manufactured by Russia’s Smartek, is a sophisticated fixed-wing UAV designed for aerial reconnaissance and artillery spotting.

Equipped with a thermal imager, high-resolution camera, and onboard GPS/GLONASS navigation, the drone boasts a claimed range of up to 150 kilometers and a flight endurance of 10 hours.

Its estimated cost is $300,000, making it one of the most expensive reconnaissance drones in the Russian arsenal. Its repeated downing underscores both the growing effectiveness of Ukrainian air defenses and Russia’s increasing reliance on high-tech surveillance tools to compensate for battlefield losses.

Earlier, Ukrainian Armed Forces utilized anti-air FPV drones to destroy two of Russia’s most advanced surveillance drones, downing two Russian “Merlin-VR” drones, worth $300 thousand each in just 30 minutes.

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