Illustrative image.
On November 13, a Russian Orlan-10 drone crashed in a Turkish-occupied area to the northern town of Ain Issa in the northern countryside of Syria’s Raqqa.
Some Syrian opposition activists claimed that the drone was shot down by the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA). Others, however, said that a technical failure was behind the drone crash.
#Syria: another Orlan-10 #Russia|n drone crashed over #TSK-held areas (3rd one in one month), this time in N. #Raqqa countryside (#AinIssa axis). pic.twitter.com/xKoP4WjZfw
— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) November 13, 2021
The Orlan-10 has a flight duration of 16 hours and a range of 140 km. The drone can be equipped with several types of sensors to carry out different missions including reconnaissance, 3D-mapping, electronic warfare and communication relay. The drone’s low-cost makes it suitable for high-risk operations.
Click to see full-size image.
This was the ninth Russian Orlan-10 to be lost in Syria this year.
- On February 6, an Orlan-10 drone crashed near the town of Ain Issa in the northern countryside of Raqqa. The drone was allegedly shot down by the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).
- On February 7, an Orlan-10 drone crashed in the al-Zawiya Mount in the southern countryside of Idlib. The drone was allegedly shot down by the al-Fateh al-Mubeen Operations Room.
- On April 4, an Orlan-10 drone crashed near the town of Mashhad Ruhin in the northern countryside of Idlib. The drone allegedly crashed as a result of a technical failure.
- On August 11, an Orlan-10 drone crashed near the town of al-Matmurah in the northern countryside of al-Hasakah. Both the SDF and Turkish-backed militants were blamed for the incident.
- Also on August 11, an Orlan-10 drone crashed near the town of al-Ruwaihah in the southern countryside of Idlib. The drone was allegedly shot down by al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham.
- On August 15, an Orlan-10 drone crashed in the Homs desert in the central region. ISIS claimed that the drone was shot down by its fighters.
- On October 13, an Orlan-10 drone crashed near the town Marea in the northern countryside of Aleppo. The SNA claimed that the drone was shot down by its fighters.
- On October 21, an Orlan-10 crashed near town of Turkmen Bareh in the northern countryside of Syria’s Aleppo. The SNA claimed that the drone was shot down by its fighters.
The Russian drone was likely monitoring Turkish forces in the northern Raqqa countryside. Recently, several reports revealed that the Turkish military and its proxies are preparing to launch a new operation against Kurdish forces in northern and northeastern Syria.
Russia will not likely tolerate any Turkish move in these regions, especially near the town of Ain Issa where its forces maintain a large base.
