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| A Russian Forpost drone |
International Military - As one of the superpowers, Russia has a fairly strong military power. In fact, it could be said to be one of the strongest in the world. In addition, Russia is also known to have various kinds of advanced combat equipment that is produced by itself, until it is purchased from other countries.
One of them is a combat drone called Forpost-R. Quoted from the AirSpace Review site, the Forpost-R is an Israeli-made unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) produced under license by a Russian company.
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Historically, Russia bought the drone in 2008. At that time, it was still called the Searcher. In 2016, Russia got a license product. A year later, Moscow began to manufacture some of its components domestically.
After various improvements were made, the drone was labeled as Forpost-R. Reporting from Army Recognition, Forpost-R is designed to carry out reconnaissance missions and convey the location of targets in real-time.
A video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense shows the UAV being armed with two guided missiles. The Forpost-R is equipped with a Russian-made gyro-stabilized optronic system. This device was designed by Ural Optical & Mechanical Plant and NPP Airborne & Marine Electronics.
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In addition, there is also a 32 kg optronic payload consisting of a cooled 3-5 micron matrix thermal imaging unit, television unit, and the HTEB.461321,011 laser rangefinder or illuminator manufactured by Quantum Optics. Furthermore, this drone has a range of up to 450 km and can fly up to an altitude of 6 km. The flight duration is 18 hours. The Fosfpost-R has a maximum weight of up to 500 kg and can carry a payload of 120 kg.
In terms of armament, the Fosfpost-R is equipped with an updated version of the Kornet-D missile known as the X-BPLA. The missile is a Russian-made anti-tank guided missile system equipped with a Tandem-HEAT or thermobaric warhead. Its firing range is between 8-10 km and can penetrate 1,100-1,300 ERA (Explosive Reactive Armor).
Most recently, Russia is known to have used the Forpost-R UAV in the war against Ukraine. With a guided missile, the drone was used to destroy the Ukrainian army's dual rocket launch system.
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Here are the Forpost-R Drone Specifications according to the Military Factory website:
- Engine : Limbach L550 engine with 47 HP
- Length : 5.85 m -Height : 1.25 m
- Width/Range : 8.55 m
- Maximum Altitude : 6 km
- Maximum Weight: 500 kg
- Maximum Flight Duration : 18 hours
- Maximum Speed : 124 mph
- Weapon: Kornet-D missile (X-BPLA) with a range of 8-10 km