USF of Ukraine’s Armed Forces Destroyed Four “Merlin-VR” UAVs in Zaporizhzhia Region

The “Merlin-VR” is a reconnaissance drone of the Russian army, equipped with a hybrid power plant designed to ensure low acoustic signature.

They were destroyed by pilots of the 7th Battalion of the 414th Separate Brigade of Unmanned Systems “Madyar’s Birds” in the Huliaipole area, as reported by Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi on his Telegram channel.

Little is known about the drone’s technical specifications. It can remain airborne for up to ten hours and climb to an altitude of 5 km. Its payload capacity is 6.5 kilograms, allowing for the installation of a powerful optoelectronic module on the UAV.

The drone is manufactured at a Russian institute in Smolensk.

Between March 1 and 13, units of the Unmanned Systems Forces destroyed a number of key Russian reconnaissance and air defense assets, including four Russian “Merlin-VR” drones.

According to the unit, they were able to destroy all the aircraft within four days.

“The destruction of several such aircraft at once indicates that Russian forces are paying increased attention to this sector of the front,” the USF emphasized.

In addition, USF operators struck a Buk-M1 air defense missile system on the outskirts of Kurakhove.

Another target destroyed was the Nebo-55Zh6 fixed radar station, located in the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea.

According to information from USF units, the air defense missile systems and drones were destroyed by pilots of the 7th Battalion of the 414th USF Brigade, while the radar station was destroyed by operators of the 1st Separate USF Center.

As a reminder, recently drones of the Unmanned Systems Forces destroyed a launch pad of the Russian S-300V air defense system in the Luhansk region and a “Tor-M2” air defense complex in Zaporizhzhia.