A Russian military drone crashed into a country house in Tatarstan on Tuesday due to a suspected malfunction during a test flight, according to its manufacturer.
Authorities in Kazan, the capital of Tatarstan, reported that a “civilian” aircraft lost control and descended onto a dacha located north of the city at 9:10 AM local time. This incident triggered a small fire, but thankfully, there were no injuries. Footage shared on social media depicted flames consuming the structure.
Regional transportation prosecutors have initiated a preliminary investigation, stating that the drone went down roughly 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) from its designated landing area.
The drone’s creator, the Ural Civil Aviation Factory based in Yekaterinburg, acknowledged that its new Altius model experienced a crash during landing and attributed the incident to “unknown external electronic warfare devices” that interfered with the flight.
Since its inception in 2011, the Altius project has faced numerous setbacks and budget issues. In 2018, the chief designer was arrested on fraud-related charges.
Considered a competitor to the U.S.-made MQ-9 Reaper and RQ-4 Global Hawk, the Altius drone completed its inaugural flight in 2019.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the six-ton drone is capable of flying for over 24 hours and performing a comprehensive range of optical, radio, and radar reconnaissance tasks.
In 2023, the United States imposed sanctions on the Ural Civil Aviation Factory for its role in developing the Altius and for providing services to other drones utilized in Russia’s conflict with Ukraine.
