On March 6, a Russian Orlan-10 drone crashed in the outskirts of Birecik town in the southern Turkish province of Sanlıurfa.
Birecik is located only 20 kilometers to the north from the border with Syria. One of the nearest Syrian town to Birect is Manbij. The town, which is located in the northern countryside of Aleppo, is occupied by the Turkish military and its proxies.
#Syria: #Russia|n Orlan-10 drone crashed in Turkey while it was monitoring #TSK-held areas in NE. #Aleppo (area of Jarabulus). pic.twitter.com/W3YpUT9YGa
— Qalaat Al Mudiq (@QalaatAlMudiq) March 6, 2022
Some Syrian opposition activists claimed that the Orlan-10 drone was “shot down” by the Turkish military. According to the activists, the drone was conducting a surveillance mission over Turkish-occupied areas in the northern countryside of Aleppo. The Turkish Ministry of National Defense is yet to confirm any of these claims.
The Orlan-10 has a flight duration of 16 hours and a range of 140 kilometers. The drone can be equipped with several types of sensors to carry out different missions including surveillance, communication relay, electronic warfare and 3D-mapping. The drone’s low-cost makes it suitable for high-risk operations.
Last year, Russia lost a total of nine Orlan-10 drones in different parts of Syria. Most of the drones crashed as a result of technical failures. Some of them were retrieved.
The Russian military has been keeping a close eye on Turkish-occupied areas in Syria. Many recent reports revealed plans to recruit militants from these areas to fight in Ukraine, where the Russian military is now conducting a special operation.
It probably crashed in Idlib then they placed in Turkey