The newest Privet-82 is a kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicle developed by the Oko design bureau. Reports indicate that its recent field testing was conducted by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, with details surfaced by Vadim Zhernov, a co-owner and the general manager of the Oko bureau. The release of this information comes as part of a protocol indicating that the drone underwent official testing under the ministry’s supervision.
According to Zhernov, the date on the protocol shows May 19 as the day of the test. The document describes a standard payload being carried and a 10-kilometer test range, designed to align with the flight time and performance envelopes that the developers declare. During the exercise, the Privet-82 started smoothly, remained under continuous control for the entire flight, executed a dive toward a designated target, and then shut down and re-engaged its engines to perform an attack run again in a silent mode.
Notably, the test demonstrated the ability to transfer flight control from one operator to another while the drone was in flight. This capability could be important for bilateral or multi-station control scenarios in real-world operations, offering logistical flexibility in mission planning.
Further, the Privet-82 proved its resilience by maintaining control and data-link integrity even when an opposing electronic warfare system attempted to disrupt the unmanned aircraft. In the test, GNSS signals were suppressed at a distance of about 2.5 kilometers, yet the drone continued to cruise without GNSS, relying on alternative navigation cues and internal guidance logic. This outcome highlights the system’s emphasis on robustness in contested environments and its ability to sustain mission profiles despite electronic countermeasures.
In early June, Oko announced the production of the Hi-82 aircraft-type kamikaze unmanned aerial vehicles, with successful tests under their belt. The latest reports note that warheads have been integrated with these vehicles in designated military operation zones and that preparations are underway to deploy them across various units. Observers note that, as with many modern unmanned platforms, the emphasis appears to be on retaining operational control under adverse conditions while ensuring reliable attack capabilities in a constrained theater of operations. Attribution for these developments is provided by industry insiders and defense ministry press statements as part of ongoing modernization programs.