Military drones Orlan-10 to start monitoring Arctic as of May 1

MOSCOW, April 23. /TASS/. A group of Orlan-10 drones of the Eastern Military District, deployed in the Chukchi Peninsula, will start monitoring the Arctic zone as of May 1, the military district’s spokesman Colonel Aleksandr Gordeyev told TASS.

"The drones’ task is to maintain impartial control of the situation in the Russian sector of the Arctic, including the ecological and ice situation in the adjoining sea areas and along the Northern Sea Route," he said.

Mi-26 helicopters can deliver drones to any area for monitoring the shipping situation and conducting search and rescue operations.

Graduates of the Defence Ministry’s remote control aviation center will replenish the personnel of the drones unit in the Chukchi Peninsula soon, Gordeyev said.

Plans for deploying a fleet of unmanned aircraft for monitoring the Arctic were unveiled at the end of last year. Orlan drones began to make test flights at the end of March.