The Russian anti-unmanned aerial vehicle battalion, the unit operating the Lis (Foxes) interceptor aircraft, recovered a rare Tekever AR3 reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Portugal in the Bryansk border area, one of the areas fighting in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the crew commander with the code name Prizrak told TASS on August 3.
An enemy reconnaissance drone flew into our area. We were very surprised because we had never seen anything like it before. This aircraft has a different tail and wing structure. When we arrived at the crash site, we discovered it was a Portuguese reconnaissance drone. Shooting down reconnaissance UAVs is very important, because firstly, they trace the route for enemy aircraft. Secondly, they are looking for our position to be able to attack," the commander said.
The Russian anti-UAV battalion stated that despite being intercepted, the Tekever AR3 remained intact. "The engine was damaged, but the airframe, equipment on board and most of the structure remained intact. This aircraft has been transferred to a research institute, where experts will study its design, specifications and technical solutions," the soldiers said.
The battalion also shared details about intercepting the Portuguese plane. According to the soldiers, this is a challenging mission. After being detected by radar, a nearly 30-minute chase began. This vehicle flew around at an altitude of about 2.5km at a speed of 90-100 km/h, making it impossible for them to approach. By the last approach, the battery of the Lis was almost idle, but the crew still managed to catch up and knock down this reconnaissance plane.
Lis is a specialized aerial interceptor unmanned aerial vehicle, developed by Moscow engineers. This is a small fixed-wing aircraft equipped with a warhead weighing about 1kg and an automatic target detection system. After detecting the target with radar, the device is launched to track the target, then catch up with the enemy's UAV, maneuver straight to the tail and detonate the warhead, destroying the enemy's aircraft.
