Russian reconnaissance drone discovered in Türkiye

The incident was reported by Türkiye’s Ministry of the Interior on the social network X, Ukrinform reports.

“According to preliminary information, today an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was detected in the Çubuklubala area of the İzmit district in Kocaeli Province. It is believed to be a Russian-origin Orlan-10 type UAV used for reconnaissance and surveillance,” the Interior Ministry said in a statement.

The ministry did not provide further details about the incident, noting that an investigation is ongoing.

The Orlan-10 is a Russian multipurpose unmanned aerial system designed for surveillance of targets in hard-to-reach areas. It is manufactured by the Special Technology Center in Saint Petersburg and has been in service with the Russian army since 2010.

As Ukrinform previously reported, on December 15, the Turkish Air Force shot down an unmanned aerial vehicle over the Black Sea as it was approaching Turkish airspace. An F-16 fighter jet was used to intercept the UAV.