2 months ago 20

Piranha 5: Russia Rolls Out ‘Pocket Drone’ for Combat Missions

Thousands of Piranha drones of various modifications have been delivered to the special military operation zone since the unveiling of this unmanned aerial vehicle in March 2023.

Engineers from the Russian special design bureau, Piranha, created an advanced combat training mini-drone, which has already been mass produced. What should you know about the Piranha 5 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), and how does it help Russian servicemen?

FPV: Piranha 5 is a first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drone, which means that it is equipped with a camera that wirelessly transmits video feed to a pair of goggles, a headset, a mobile device, or another device. As a result, an operator has a first-person view of the environment where the drone flies and may capture video or still images.

Small and fast: The 12-centimeter drone, which weighs just 300 grams and has a payload mass of 1 kilogram, is capable of flying at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour. The range is up to 3 kilometers.

The drone will become a "flying school desk" for future FPV drone operators, a Piranya spokesperson told Russian media, touting the Piranha 5’s fairly simple design, which they said would help the operators study the structure and main components of the drone to master its repair.

Sharky: Thanks to its light weight and high-load capacity, the Piranha 5 can also be used to storm objects with limited space, the spokesperson said, adding that this "pocket drone" is best suited for performing tasks within a radius of 1-3 km.

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"A serviceman can take three or four such drones on a mission. All you need is to launch the already equipped Piranha 5 to check a forest, a trench, or a communication route. If the desired object is found, you can destroy it; if not, put the drone back into your pocket and continue to perform tasks," the spokesperson noted, adding that this mini-drone is effective in clearing premises, both for surveillance and for striking the desired targets.

Notably, the UAV pertains to the Piranha drone family, which was used by Russian forces to destroy Ukraine’s first US-made M1 Abrams tank in the special operation zone.