New Drone Unveiled: Alabuga Politekh Seeks UAV Operators for Special Military Operation

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have become a crucial and closely monitored component in the Russia-Ukraine war, with countless updates, articles, and enthusiasts sharing content online. One of the key aspects of this drone warfare is Russia’s use of Iranian drones. Acquired early in the conflict, these drones, primarily different models of Shahed drones, were renamed “Geran” by the Russians.

WNM has investigated online sources about the drone factory located in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan, Russia. The WNM team analyzed TikTok content and other online videos to research this facility, which U.S. intelligence identified as an Iranian drone manufacturer. Currently, WNM has found that the facility shown online was primarily a college building with infrastructure for students and administrative staff, while all drone manufacturing capabilities were at the drone-making company “Albatros.” However, there was another manufacturing complex next to the building whose origin and purpose remain undetermined. During the investigation, WNM discovered an unidentified drone featuring jet engine markers but lacking other distinguishable details for proper identification.

A similar mystery arose in late July 2024 when Alabuga College’s official Telegram account posted a video inviting prospective students to join its prestigious UAV operators program, “Aeronautics and UAV Programming.” The video showcased a new, unidentified drone among others.

The video features scenes of students assembling and piloting the drone. The WNM team has identified the drones shown.

The first drone piloted by the Alabuga student did not resemble any of the Albatros production drones or the Iranian-made “Shaheds” or “Gerans”.

The first presented drone appeared to be an Autel Dragonfish, a reconnaissance VTOL aircraft. The attached camera also seems to be authentic, identified as the DG-T3 model. Pictures confirming this identification were sourced from the official Autel website.

The drone, produced by the Chinese company Autel Robotics, has seen widespread distribution globally. In the United States, lawmakers proposed adding Autel Robotics to the blacklist as early as November 2023. This recommendation stemmed from concerns over the company’s alleged affiliation with China’s People’s Liberation Army, raising fears that it could conduct intelligence operations within U.S. borders. Additionally, there were worries that Autel Robotics could indirectly support Russian attacks in Ukraine, as the company’s presence in the Russian market at that time was noted.

Notably, in 2022, Autel Robotics issued a statement addressing the allegations regarding the harmful use of its drones in Ukraine. The company asserted that all such reports were unconfirmed and declared that Autel “deplores the use of any drone product to harm people or property”

In July 2024, Autel Robotics was added to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s blacklist due to its connections with the Chinese military.

Interestingly, the drone featured in the video from Russia lacks any logos or markings that are visible on the Dragonfish models showcased on Autel’s official website:

Imagery compiled from the official sources allow to notice the logo on all the sides.

In the video, the drone appears without any logos.

This situation could imply several possibilities. The drone might have been assembled at the Alabuga facility, indicating local production capabilities. Alternatively, it could have been purchased on the open market in Russia, suggesting that these drones are readily available through commercial channels.

A search in Russian for ‘Autel Dragonfish buy’ yields numerous results, including listings from official distributors of Autel drones in Russia.

One more drone

A video posted on the Alabuga Politekh Telegram channel features a new drone. The serial number suggests it is a new model, with “001” likely indicating a prototype. The letter ‘Ы,’ already used in the markings of Shaheds, is reportedly associated with the start of local drone manufacturing in Russia.

The Italmas drone features a similar engine.

Comparison between DEL 60 engine found at marketplace, Italmas drone engine and Alabuga drone’s engine.

This engine has been widely used by Russia already in various drones. Notably, it was used in decoy drones, that were sent to Ukraine early in the war.

The video then shows the drone taking off from an SUV vehicle, capturing frames of the drone’s ascent:

At the very end, the video showed the parade of Geran-2 (Shahed-136) drones that took place in Belarus. The drones were presented as a new Belorussian development, as a part of their new complex “Kochevnik [Nomad]”.

‘Geran-2’ with serial number ‘Ы3500’ and a nickname ‘Panda’.

The video then addressed potential students, urging them to join the “Stalin’s Falcons,” a group of UAV operators participating in the special military operation.

“Stalin’s Falcons” recruitment poster. Russian text says: “1. Do you want to learn a profession of the future? 2. Patriot 3. Do you want to help the country? 4. Your time has come“.

The frames from the same parade posted at one of Telegram channels covering the special military operation.