The press service of the National Technology Initiative reported that Russian scientists have developed the Begaket-Mirage drone. This unmanned aerial vehicle is designed to operate beyond basic takeoff and landing, capable of staying aloft for up to 12 hours at an altitude around eight thousand meters. The project was undertaken by Aerospace Development BEGAK LLC, which outlined its progress as a strong step forward in tactical and environmental sensing capabilities.
According to the developers, a working prototype weighs about 75 kilograms and can reach a flight altitude within a 6,000 to 8,000-meter range, with a payload capacity of up to 20 kilograms. The team emphasized that the drone in its standard configuration demonstrates around two hours of endurance and a range of roughly 350 kilometers, marking notable performance for a platform of its size and capabilities. A hybrid variant is planned to integrate both an electric motor and a gasoline internal combustion engine, extending the flight time to 10–12 hours and broadening the mission envelope for field operations.
Alexander Begak, the general manager of BEGAK LLC and the chief designer of Begaket-Mirage, outlined several practical uses for the drone. Potential applications include serving as a communications repeater during emergencies and supporting environmental monitoring tasks such as tracking forest fires or inspecting critical infrastructure like gas pipelines. Begak highlighted that drones of this dimensions typically operate at lower altitudes, and that many comparable systems exhibit slower airspeeds, suggesting a meaningful advantage for Begaket-Mirage in rapid response scenarios and wide-area surveillance. The team also noted a distinctive non-classical aerodynamic design that enables operations from unprepared surfaces, including ship decks, while clarifying that it is not a tiltrotor. Detailed technical features of the design were kept for future disclosure.
Flight testing for Begaket-Mirage has continued, with several sorties completed as part of a broader qualification process. The ongoing program aims to verify performance under diverse conditions and to validate reliability for potential national-scale missions, including border security, disaster response, and industrial monitoring. The developers stress that the drone’s combination of endurance, altitude capability, and operational versatility could position it as a flexible asset within a national technology framework. The project is discussed within the context of advancements in unmanned aviation and the evolving needs of homeland security and infrastructure management, as described in official briefings and industry analyses. Citation: NTI press release. See also technical summaries published by BEGAK LLC and related defense technology assessments.
Earlier communications had noted that newly developed kamikaze drones would be deployed to front-line operations from a centralized center. Reports indicate that operators could access the drone controls on the frontline to target enemy positions with precision. This broader capability framework emphasizes rapid deployment, real-time targeting, and the potential for scalable drone networks to support military and civil applications alike. The ongoing developments around Begaket-Mirage reflect a broader push toward higher-altitude, longer-endurance UAV platforms that can function as both sensing and communication nodes in complex environments. Awareness of such systems underscores the importance of continued innovation in unmanned aviation to meet evolving national security, environmental, and economic monitoring needs. Currency of the project is maintained through official disclosures and corroborating analyses from industry observers. Citation: NTI press release.