MOSCOW, September 9. /TASS/. Millions of the Knyaz Vandal of Novgorod (KVN) fiber-optic FPV drones have been delivered to the special military operation zone since the drone’s deployment began in August 2024, Alexey Chadayev, CEO of the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center (Veliky Novgorod), told TASS.
"The count is already in the millions. <…> To this day, the KVN’s effectiveness as a frontline strike drone has not diminished. In other words, no effective countermeasures against it have been found over these two years, although we expected this to happen much sooner. The main trends over these two years have been a steady increase in the KVN’s operational range, because the enemy is moving targets, equipment, and expensive devices beyond the reach of fiber-optic cables. We have to constantly try to increase the range. The mass-produced UAV with a range of 42 km is already in full-scale operation. I don’t think that’s the limit," Chadayev said.
According to him, as the drone’s range increases, "some decrease in effectiveness is inevitable." "The wire is thin, and every kilometer adds an additional risk of breakage. Therefore, the KVN’s statistical performance at 40 km – specifically in terms of flight range percentage and so on – will be worse than that of the KVN at 15 km. But this is offset by the significance of the targets that can be found at greater distances," added Chadayev.
The Knyaz Vandal fiber-optic FPV drone, developed by the Ushkuynik Research and Production Center, was first used in August 2024, after the Ukrainian armed forces launched an incursion into Russia’s Kursk Region. The drone can withstand electronic warfare and perform various missions.