Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, Orlan-10 drones have been documented on numerous occasions in all areas of conflict across the country. Most of the documentation shows the more familiar use of the Orlan-10 as a reconnaissance and visual intelligence tool that functions as an eye in the sky, supporting the advancement of ground forces, and the calibration of artillery fire. In mid May 2022, a new feature for the Orlan-10 was revealed by Russian news media channels: four units of a new type of high-explosive fragmentation shell (OFSP-08-A133) can now be released via a dispenser mechanism attached to the wings of the UAV. This type of munition was documented by the Ukrainian side in March 2022, indicating it was employed as early as the first month of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This new ‘bomber’ capacity, in the form of a fairly inexpensive and minor tactical modification, upgrades the existing reconnaissance and VISINT support functions of the Orlan-10.
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