The new modification of the Russian Orlan unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), which was recently shot down by the Ukrainian military, uses the most modern ICs of the American company AMD Xilinx, which is a dual-use product and is subject to sanctions.
The co-founder of Monobank and the manufacturer of Ukrainian Dovbush T10 drones, Volodymyr Yatsenko states this on the air of the Unified National Telethon.
"The effectiveness of sanctions depends on what efforts are made so that they are not violated. Two weeks ago, we disassembled the downed Russian drone Orlan, and in the radio communication module we found the most modern and very powerful chip. The very same chip is in the Iranian Shahid, and it is also used in the guidance systems of Russian missiles. Unfortunately, this is a microchip of the American company AMD XILINX, it costs more than two thousand dollars and is a dual-use product, i.e. it is not sold without certain licenses. Therefore, in my opinion, in addition to sanctions, a lot of work should be done to track and interrupt illegal ways of supplying military technology to prohibited countries. Chinese engines can also be used, but without the latest technology, it is impossible to create a modern drone. An inspection from the United States has arrived in Ukraine to monitor the use of military assistance, and I hope that they will see this nonsense: while we spend American missiles to shoot down enemy UAVs, i.e. the funds of the American people, these drones fly on American chips," says Volodymyr Yatsenko.
He notes that Ukrainian drone manufacturers should improve their technologies in order to be two steps ahead of the enemy.
"Due to the fact that Russian drones are improving their characteristics, we must also improve our technologies to be two steps ahead. We have created really up-to-date technologies in a certain segment, namely in the segment of plastics. Today we work with materials that are stronger than metals and are used by the aviation industry, including such global giants as Boeing and Airbus. This makes it possible to surpass the level of Russian and Iranian UAVs. But they don't stand still either. The modern Orlan is a fairly high-quality drone, so we must move faster in new technologies and new components", says Volodymyr Yatsenko.
As previously reported, the co-founder of Monobank and a team of Ukrainian engineers, managed to create a modern Ukrainian Dovbush T10 drone, unattainable for enemy EW and air defense, which is much cheaper than its Western counterparts. This is an universal UAV that is modified into an attack or reconnaissance drone within an hour. All drones are transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine free of charge.