Alpha Group operators received PD-2 reconnaissance UAVs
29 July, 2023 PD-2 reconnaissance drone of the SSU. July 2023. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation
The Come Back Alive Foundation handed over two PD-2 reconnaissance drones to the Special Operations Center "A" of the Security Service of Ukraine. Ukrainian special forces operators are already destroying the military equipment of the Russian invaders with their help. The total cost of two transferred Ukrainian-made reconnaissance UAVs is UAH 20 million.
The SSU reported that in just the first few days of their operation on the front line, these PD-2 UAVs helped to detect and destroy:
- Strela-10M SAM;
- 2S5 Giatsint-S ACS;
- BM-21 Grad MRL,
- the crew of Zala UAV;
- 2S3 Akatsiya ACS;
- 2S1 Gvozdika ACS;
- enemy military vehicles.
Footage of the enemy equipment destruction can be seen in the video from the Security Service of Ukraine.
Come Back Alive Foundation notes that PD-2 is one of the best Ukrainian unmanned aerial systems in its segment. It has a man-directed flight radius of up to 180 km, endurance of up to 12 hours, and is able to track the movement of moving targets.
Each drone has an optical sensor with a 30x zoom for the daytime mode and a 5x one for thermal imaging. The PD-2 drone can clearly identify the target coordinates in the frame at a distance of more than 5 kilometers. The reconnaissance system transmits target designation and adjusts the work of Ukrainian long-range artillery and rocket systems, including HIMARS.
PD-2 reconnaissance drone of the SSU.July 2023. Photo credits: Come Back Alive Foundation
PD-2 is a multi-purpose reconnaissance unmanned system of operational and tactical level, developed by Ukrainian company UkrSpecSystems.
PD-2 UAV. Image: frame from the video of the Come Back Alive FoundationThe Ukrainian-made drone has an internal combustion engine.
The total distance of the PD-2 flight route can reach 1000 kilometers or more.
PD-2 does not always require a runway for take-off, as these UAVs can take off vertically.
In May, the Come Back Alive Foundation transferred the PD-2 unmanned aviation system to the Ukrainian Air Forces.