He UAV400T It is not one of the most well-known drones that Russia is using in Ukrainebut it has been there since the start of the invasion in February 2022. It is a small UAV developed by the Russian industry and equipped with a thermal imaging camera, also made in Russia, to be able to carry out reconnaissance tasks at any time of the day or night. According to TASS, Russia has upgraded this four-engine mini-drone, commonly known by Russian soldiers as the ‘flying thermovisor‘, to also turn it into an attack weapon. According to OKB Astronthe design bureau responsible for the UAV400T, the modifications have increased the effectiveness of the drone in detecting and attacking enemy targets, achieving a 90% success rate.
The UAV400T is equipped with a system of thermal imaging recognition which allows it to search, detect, recognize and determine the coordinates of targets in both day and night conditions. A key aspect of the upgrade includes the installation of a mechanism for the directed launch of up to four fragmentation munitionseach weighing 200 grams, developed by JSC Institute of Applied Physics. This upgrade allows you to perform precise attacks.
The drone can lift a weight of up to 1,7 kg and has a range of 5 kilometers with an operating altitude of 3 km above its launch point. The thermal imaging system allows the recognition of enemy personnel at distances of up to 350 meters during the day and up to 400 meters at night. Additionally, it can detect enemy equipment up to 800 metros.
These improvements use the thermal recognition system Blokpost-Tdeveloped by Astron, which includes advanced surveillance and target designation systems that are currently being produced in significant numbers for deployment in Ukraine. The Blokpost-T system incorporates intelligent analytics and offers full operational capabilities in any climate.
Vitaly Serovchief designer of OKB Astron, said in an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS, conducted on the occasion of the International Military-Technical Forum Army 2024that the modifications in the drone They have improved the stability and quality of images, as well as increasing their resistance to electronic warfare.. Updated communication channels and video transmitters are designed to reduce the probability of detection by enemy electronic intelligence.
Although the exact number of UAV400T drones in operation has not been revealed, it has been confirmed that Hundreds of them are currently deployed in Ukraine.. OKB Astron is working to increase production, with plans to manufacture up to five thousand units annually.
