"Since our drone has a long range, about 30 kilometers [18.6 miles], it can be based not on the line of contact, but in the rear. That is, the launch of the UAV [unmanned aerial vehicle] is carried out 15-20 kilometers from the front line from a launch point that can serve several units at the same time. Thus, within the front line units themselves, there is no need to keep drones and a catapult, you only need goggles, a control panel and an operator, who will connect to the drone in flight and use it on the selected target," Vadim Zhernov, the co-owner and general director of the Oko design bureau, explained.
Zhernov added that it is possible to transfer control of the Privet-82 drone from one operator to another when the UAV arrives in the area of its intended operation.
"But a change of course in flight from the launch point to the front line is not possible: the drone travels this section of the route in complete radio silence, it does not emit anything, and goes with the video transmitter turned off so that it cannot be intercepted by the enemy," Zhernov told Sputnik.
According to the developer, the tests of the new kamikaze drones have already been completed, and the first batch of about ten Privet-82 UAVs will be sent to the front line within a month.