FPV drones of aircraft type Privet-82 (Hello-82) have been tested in the special military operation zone, the UAV is currently being equipped with a combat unit and prepared for use in units on the front line. The design bureau Oko (SPb), which is the developer of the drones, said.
“Privet-82 has undergone flight tests in the territory of the Luhansk People’s Republic and the Donetsk People’s Republic in the zone of a special military operation. In the course of the tests, its flight range and radio channel were tested. The aircraft was demonstrated to representatives of the Kaskad, Vostok and Rosgvardia tactical battalions, as well as the Wagner PMC. Work is under way to equip the drones with a combat unit, and they are being prepared for their first combat use, which will take place in the next few days,” a representative of the Design Bureau said.
He explained that drone control at 980 MHz was tested for resistance to electronic warfare complexes. “Flying up to the battle line, the results of the tests show that the EWC passes without any problems,” the Design Bureau noted.
The drone was also tested in a reconnaissance version. “In the area of a special military operation, we showed and tested a version of our vehicle in a reconnaissance version. We received good feedback and recommendations for improvement. It is necessary to slightly modify the camera, which is installed on the reconnaissance drone, after which the device will go into production,” said in a message in tg-channel KB.
At the moment, there are 12 drones in the special military operation zone. Specialists of the design bureau are in constant communication with the units that received the Hi-82 drones.
The Privet-82 FPV drone is designed to strike a wide range of targets: military infrastructure, strongholds and various types of equipment, including armoured vehicles, artillery and air defence systems. It has a maximum range of 30 km and a payload comparable to that of the upgraded Lancet kamikaze drone – up to 5.5 kg. The drone is equipped with a pusher propeller, which is driven by an electric motor. Cruising speed is around 80km/h, with a maximum horizontal speed of 140km/h. In the final dive, the vehicle accelerates to 160 km/h.
“In developing the FPV drone, we have gone a little further than other companies in proposing the ‘pick-up’ application concept. The idea is that the strike drones are launched by a squad that is in the rear, about 10km from the front line. Such a launch is not easily detected and does not deceive fighters at the frontline. When the drone approaches the line of contact, it is controlled by the operator on the front line,” Andrey Ivanov, founder of the Oko Design Bureau, told RT in an interview.
According to him, the Privet-82 is also capable of automatic flight, but in this case the exact coordinates of the target must be known. “There is also a function of signal relaying, which allows reliable control of the UAV – for this you need to lift a Mavic quadcopter with a special antenna into the air,” he explained. A special hollow space in the drone’s design is provided for the installation of explosives, where the fighters on the front line will themselves install the explosive device, the CB manager added.
He noted that the Privet-82 is adapted for mass production – the UAV is made of elements that are sliced on a conventional laser machine. It has no composites, the Hi-82 can be assembled by a person with a minimum amount of technical knowledge, which is an important factor for mass and low-cost production.
“The drone does not have an automatic target acquisition feature like the Lancet, but an experienced operator learns to fly the UAV very quickly and can hit targets quite easily in manual mode. The control and operation will not be difficult for beginners either,” Andrey Ivanov added.
