PATRIOT PARK /Moscow Region/, August 18. /TASS/. Shershen (Hornet) ‘flying binoculars’ used for reconnaissance in the zone of the special military operation in Ukraine were demonstrated at the Army-2023 international military-technical forum, Vitaly Dolgov, head of the Laboratory of External Piloting and UAV Operation at the Kartsev Research Institute of Computer Systems, told TASS on Friday.

"The Shershen hexacopter was initially designed for dispersing mass events with the help of an infrasonic weapon but was modernized into a reconnaissance drone - ‘flying binoculars.’ The aerial vehicle is furnished with a video camera, a thermal imaging camera and rebroadcasting transmitters. Two of our vehicles are currently being used in the zone of the special operation," Dolgov said.

Work continues to expand the hexacopter’s capabilities, he added.

"We are working on the flight extension. Work is also underway to upgrade the payload and the infrasound. After that, official tests with the involvement of volunteers are planned," the specialist said.

The Shershen is capable of operating in unfavorable weather conditions, under temperatures ranging from minus 20 to plus 40 degrees Celsius. The drone can climb to an altitude of 3 km and operate within a range of 12 km. The hexacopter can transmit video data to a distance of 20 km and carry a payload of 3 kg, he specified.

The Army 2023 international military-technical forum is running at the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Center, the Alabino training ground and the Kubinka airfield outside Moscow on August 14-20. About 1,500 leading Russian defense enterprises and 85 foreign companies and businesses from seven countries are participating in the forum’s expositions and business program.

The forum has been organized by the Russian Defense Ministry. TASS is the forum’s strategic media partner.