Russia To Deploy Drones In Tajikistan
Russian troops in Tajikistan have received surveillance drones designed for “terrain reconnaissance and detection of radioactivity,” the Russian military has announced. “The UAVs have substantially raised the military capability of the units carrying out the surveillance mission during day and night,” the report said. The UAVs in question are the “Granat,” “Zastava,” and “Leer.” All are relatively small — the Granat and Zastava are portable. And the Leer is apparently especially designed for “detecting radiation, creating interference for radio signals and suppressing specific frequencies.”
It’s not clear what radiation threat there may be in Tajikistan, but the small surveillance drones would be consistent with Russia’s stated mission of trying to stop the spillover of militants from Afghanistan into Tajikistan. It’s also possible that the drones are just for show. As regional security expert Mark Galeotti wrote in a recent analysis in openDemocracy, Russia’s belated enthusiasm for drones is partly for show: “Of course, this is the age of the drone, and Moscow must be wanting to achieve parity with its rivals… [I]n 2012, Putin acknowledged that ‘unpiloted aircraft are being used more and more actively in armed conflicts; and I must say, they are being used effectively’ and so ‘we need the full line, including automated strike aircraft, reconnaissance drones and other systems… It is imperative to involve best engineering and science bureaus and centres in this effort.'” But Galeotti notes that Russia is far behind other countries like the U.S. — by as much as two decades — and is fast trying to catch up.
Russia also recently tested small surveillance drones at its base in Armenia, the U.S. is reportedly looking at setting up a drone base in Central Asia, and nearly all the countries in the region have dabbled in producing their own UAVs.
