Report: Russia Building Drone to Monitor Arctic

Russia is working on creating an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that can stay in flight for four days and work in Arctic weather, Defense One reports.

Additionally, specialists of the Advanced Research Foundation are developing technology that allow vertical and ultrashort takeoff and landing.

"The aircraft of increased autonomy should ensure the performance of functional tasks in non-stop flight at high latitudes with a duration of at least four days," the FPI specified according to a report in state-run media TASS.

The drones will be used to conduct research in the Arctic region, protect Russia's perimeters, regularly monitor the ice and carry out numerous surveillance operations.

Arms maker Kalashnikov in December unveiled two drones it built for Russia to patrol the Arctic and offer "round-the-clock protection of the perimeters."

Kalashnikov said the ZALA drones could gather information about a vessel at a distance of 100 kilometers away and fly for up to 250 minutes in sub-zero temperatures. They also came equipped with their own alternative navigation system for when GPS was not available.

Russia, according to Defense One, seems to be "taking the lead in efforts to develop ways to monitor and observe vast northern reaches via unmanned technologies."

• Pentagon: Increase in Use of Domestic Drones
• Report: China 'Slaughterbots' Can Kill Without Human Command