Israeli-manufactured drones documented as being used in Ukraine
Russia’s Forpost drone is actually an IAI Searcher. Since the start of the Russian invasion, several such drones have fallen on Ukrainian soil
Ami Rojkes Dombe
| 01/12/2022
A drone which fell on Ukrainian soil in 2015. Photo: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2015/06/13/the-russian-forpost-drone-shot-down-in-ukraine/
In 2009, talks began about a possible drone deal between Israel and Russia, with the purpose of establishing a knowledge base in Russia for the local drone industry. The deal was finalized in 2011 as a G2G agreement, and following Washington’s approval, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) provided Russia with the relevant knowhow, which included drones to be used by the Russia army.
Based on this deal, the IAI drone known in Israel as the Searcher became the Forpost in Russia. No one in the Israeli Ministry of Defense or its US counterpart even dreamed that a decade later, Russia would invade Ukraine. They probably envisioned Russian wars in central Asia, far from Europe.
In 2016, the Americans pulled the plug, and Israel stopped providing Russia with the drones – most likely, since Moscow used these tools during its Crimea invasion in 2014. The first known record of this drone, which fell in Ukraine and remained almost intact, was in 2015.
Fast forward to February 2022, when Russia decided to occupy additional parts of Ukraine, starting a war that is still ongoing. About a month after the Russian invasion, its army released a video of the active Forpost.
In March 2022, another Forpost fell in Ukraine. Another report followed suit in July.
It is important to note that drones, obviously, sometimes fall from the skies due to technical faults, operational errors or interception. These drones accumulate many flight hours, some over areas saturated in anti-drone weapons.
Russia’s Forpost drone is actually an IAI Searcher. Since the start of the Russian invasion, several such drones have fallen on Ukrainian soil
A drone which fell on Ukrainian soil in 2015. Photo: https://www.bellingcat.com/news/uk-and-europe/2015/06/13/the-russian-forpost-drone-shot-down-in-ukraine/
In 2009, talks began about a possible drone deal between Israel and Russia, with the purpose of establishing a knowledge base in Russia for the local drone industry. The deal was finalized in 2011 as a G2G agreement, and following Washington’s approval, Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) provided Russia with the relevant knowhow, which included drones to be used by the Russia army.
Based on this deal, the IAI drone known in Israel as the Searcher became the Forpost in Russia. No one in the Israeli Ministry of Defense or its US counterpart even dreamed that a decade later, Russia would invade Ukraine. They probably envisioned Russian wars in central Asia, far from Europe.
In 2016, the Americans pulled the plug, and Israel stopped providing Russia with the drones – most likely, since Moscow used these tools during its Crimea invasion in 2014. The first known record of this drone, which fell in Ukraine and remained almost intact, was in 2015.
Fast forward to February 2022, when Russia decided to occupy additional parts of Ukraine, starting a war that is still ongoing. About a month after the Russian invasion, its army released a video of the active Forpost.
In March 2022, another Forpost fell in Ukraine. Another report followed suit in July.
It is important to note that drones, obviously, sometimes fall from the skies due to technical faults, operational errors or interception. These drones accumulate many flight hours, some over areas saturated in anti-drone weapons.
