Orlan-10

The Orlan-10 is Russia's most widely deployed frontline ISR drone, produced by the Special Technology Center in St. Petersburg and in service across all branches of the Russian armed forces since approximately 2010. A small catapult-launched fixed-wing design powered by a 6 hp two-stroke gasoline engine, the Orlan-10 carries an EO/IR camera payload, a SIGINT receiver for intercepting GSM mobile communications, and a relay node for extending radio communications range — all in a 10 kg airframe. Its parachute recovery system allows rapid reuse and forward deployment by battery-level units without dedicated ground infrastructure.

In Ukraine, the Orlan-10 has become the primary Russian tool for artillery adjustment: swarms of Orlans orbit just behind the line of contact, feeding coordinates from their cameras through encrypted datalinks to firing batteries in near-real-time. Ukrainian forces have developed specific tactics to counter the Orlan-10 — electronic warfare to jam its control links, mobile anti-aircraft crews with ZU-23 guns, and eventually dedicated drone-hunting units. Despite high attrition rates (hundreds have been shot down or captured), Russia has maintained high Orlan-10 sortie rates by mass-producing the platform at low cost. Its continued prevalence illustrates how a simple, cheap ISR drone can have a decisive operational impact.