The para-military outlet Indian Defence Research Wing (IDRW) reported that India has purchased a batch of Belarusian Berkut-BM unmanned aerial vehicles.
“The Indian Army has procured the Belarusian Berkut-BM unmanned aerial vehicle from Mirotvorets (Peacemaker),” the report said.
No further details of the purchase were provided, and the source of the information was not specified.
The article then goes on to describe the drone and its technical characteristics. It claims the system was developed as a high-speed strike drone optimized for the destruction of surface-to-air missile systems, multiple launch rocket systems, artillery positions, reconnaissance assets and electronic warfare systems, as well as columns of lightly armored and motorized equipment and enemy personnel.
The Berkut-BM drone was developed by the Belarusian company INDELA Design Bureau. Its website states that the Berkut-BM is allegedly a robotic aerial target with a 2.8-meter wingspan, a mass of 33 kg, a turbojet engine, a parachute recovery system, and a top speed of 450 km/h.
In 2017, INDELA Design Bureau underwent reorganization and became the Design Bureau “Unmanned Helicopters,” operating under the UAVHELI brand.
Mirotvorets is a kamikaze unmanned aircraft with a turbojet engine, a 2.8-meter wingspan, a range of 180 km, and a 10-kg warhead. Prototype units were produced in 2021. It is currently in serial production.
It is known that the Belarusian drone is equipped with compact micro turbojet engines manufactured by the Chinese company Swiwin.
A year ago, Reform.news reported that militants from the M23 group seized a batch of military equipment at Goma airport, the largest city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, including new Berkut-BM UAVs packed in wooden crates.
