MOSCOW, May 20. /TASS/. Russia’s Merlin-VR reconnaissance drone can fly a distance of 150 km without losing contact, according to a senior UAV crew operator with the call sign Ryba.

"The flight range is approximately 150 km with full communication, without losing it. It is also virtually immune to enemy electronic warfare. It has a robust onboard defense system that suppresses hunter-killer drones (attack drones - TASS), and also has an evasion system. The aircraft is equipped with a 90x optical zoom with an additional digital zoom, which can be increased to 200x, and we can conduct reconnaissance at a distance of up to 30 km from the aircraft to the target," Ryba said in a video released by the Russian Defense Ministry.

The officer noted that thanks to improved communication quality, the flight range can be increased to 260 km.

The Merlin-VR reconnaissance UAV is a modern unmanned aerial vehicle designed for airborne reconnaissance and surveillance. The system is capable of conducting reconnaissance in automatic and semi-automatic modes for extended periods and can carry various reconnaissance equipment. The task of the UAV is to detect and monitor objects at any time of day and in various weather conditions, including under snow cover and behind camouflage nets.