Design Bureau Oko has announced that the Privet-82 type kamikaze drones successfully cleared a rigorous testing phase in a designated military operations zone. The devices are now armed with a warhead and prepared for deployment across different units. The claim comes from TASS.
Emphasis from the bureau indicates that the UAV has already completed flight tests within the territories controlled by the Luhansk and Donetsk People’s Republics. This information underscores the program’s progress and the system’s readiness for broader use in specialized operations carried out by designated formations.
As part of the testing program, several performance metrics were evaluated. These included the drone’s flight range, the stability and reliability of its radio link, and the resilience of its systems against interference from electronic warfare environments. Such checks are central to validating the drone’s effectiveness in contested zones where comms and navigation can be degraded or disrupted.
During the demonstrations, representatives belonging to operational combat tactical formations OBTF Cascade, OBTF Vostok, the National Guard, and the Wagner private military company observed the UAV in action. The demonstrations served to illustrate the UAV’s capabilities in real-world-like scenarios and to confirm its operational viability for first-line tasks in the near term.
Current indications suggest that the drones have been equipped with a warhead and are moving toward their initial operational deployment. Preparations for a first-use scenario appear to be underway, signaling a transition from testing to active integration within existing tactical structures.
Earlier reports noted that specialists from the Sakhalin Center for Unmanned Technologies contributed to the project. They developed a quadcopter design intended to minimize exposure to electronic warfare ranges, enabling rapid extraction from hostile EW environments and enhancing survivability in contested airspaces. This line of work reflects a broader effort to bolster unmanned capabilities through innovative design choices and field-tested resilience.
Taken together, these developments paint a picture of a converging program where unmanned aerial systems are being refined for precision roles, rapid deployment, and improved resistance to electronic countermeasures. The Privet-82 family appears intended to operate in coordinated contexts alongside ground units and paramilitary formations, expanding the available tools for mission planners operating in complex, high-threat theaters. Observers note the emphasis on end-to-end readiness, from flight autonomy and comms reliability to the robustness of payloads and airframe durability under operational stress. The ongoing progression signals that such systems may become an integrated element of multi-domain operations in the near future, with potential implications for how engagements are staged, executed, and defended against evolving electronic warfare tactics. Attribution: TASS.