Sarych-2 (Roboavia drone)

History

Roboavia (Робоавиа) is a privately owned Russian drone manufacturer established in 2022. The company initially produced drones at a facility in Simferopol, Crimea, with a modest monthly output. The Sarych-2 reconnaissance drone was subjected to testing by the Russian Black Sea Fleet in 2023 and was undergoing official state evaluations at that time. Deliveries to military units stationed in Crimea had commenced by August 2023. In December 2023 Roboavia changed its registered address from Simferopol to Khutor Lenina, Aksay District, Rostov Oblast, and in 2024 the company invested over 752 million rubles in new unmanned-aircraft production capacity at that site.

Specifications

The Sarych-2 is a reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle built in a flying-wing configuration and powered by an electric motor. Its wingspan is 3.1 m and its maximum flight altitude is 5 km. A full battery charge provides 2.5 hours of continuous operation. Stated takeoff weight is 14 kg in one set of figures and 15 kg in Russian Ministry of Defense figures. Maximum speed is given as 108 km/h in one account and up to 110 km/h in Ministry of Defense materials. The drone carries a high-definition camera with 60× zoom and a thermal imager. An onboard computer with dedicated software identifies combat vehicles at ranges up to 2.5 km, tracks them, and transmits target coordinates to the operator. The Sarych-2 incorporates an enhanced system of protection against enemy electronic-warfare measures; upon loss of the control signal the drone is capable of returning to its base autonomously.

Operational history

In the Russia–Ukraine war the Sarych-2 has been employed by airborne units. A Sarych-2 crew from a Novorossiysk airborne formation used the drone to detect a column of lightly armoured vehicles moving from the rear toward the front line on the Orikhiv direction in Zaporizhzhia Oblast for personnel rotation. The coordinates were relayed to a command post, enabling destruction of the column by BM-21 Grad multiple-launch rocket systems; the drone confirmed the direct hit. Within the broader “Dnepr” troop grouping, Sarych-2 operators conduct daily real-time surveillance of enemy movements, provide targeting data for both rocket and tube artillery, and guide first-person-view drones onto targets, operating in both daylight and dark conditions.