DRONELEDGER / Press factsheet
Molniya family
A compact selection from this profile, with sources and limits. Other configurations and additional measurements remain in the full profile.
A Russian family of inexpensive fixed-wing FPV aircraft. CSIS separates the initial Molniya-1 strike aircraft, twin-engine Molniya-2 and reconnaissance Molniya-2R. Ukraine’s intelligence service documents the reconnaissance adaptation separately; family names do not establish a shared payload or mission.[1][2]
Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.
The numbers, with their sources
| Published flight range | 30–40 km[1] |
|---|
Form, sound & identification limits
- The 30–40 km and up-to-80 km figures belong to different CSIS configurations, not an uncertainty interval for one aircraft. FPV describes the viewing/control approach, not the number of rotors.[1]
- GUR describes Molniya-2R as a reconnaissance adaptation of the twin-engine line. That official examination is not an independent performance test of CSIS’s range figures; no common measured silhouette is assigned.[2][1]
Shape or sound alone cannot identify a drone. Follow local public-safety alerts; do not approach wreckage.
Source notebook
- CSIS · How Russia Is Building a Sovereign Drone Ecosystem for AI-Driven Autonomy
2026-04-13 · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Approximate / analyst compilation
- Defence Intelligence of Ukraine · Molniya-2R reconnaissance adaptation
2025-12-22 · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Official report; not an independent test
Cite this profile
DroneLedger. Molniya fixed-wing FPV family. 2026-11-01. https://droneincidents.com/drones/molniya-family/editions/2026-11-01/
Our text, data and schematic drawings: CC BY 4.0, credit DroneLedger and link to the profile. Linked publications and quoted passages keep their own rights.