Mystery of the TU-141 Drone

[elxaime]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/cr ... hp&pc=U531

The TU-141 drone entered USSR service in 1979 and looks appropriately unwieldy and ancient in design - you half-expect Yuri Gargarin to be waving alongside. Apparently, only Ukraine still operates them but both Ukraine and Russia deny it is theirs. Still, it flew over three NATO countries unchallenged before crashing in Croatia, thankfully with no casualties. Understandably, Croatia is a bit upset, and Hungary seems to have heard about the drone flying through their airspace only after the Croats told them about the crash. Romania says "hey, it was only passing through our airspace for three minutes." Not a great look for NATO, but maybe I am being too harsh.

Do they have TU-141 in CMANO? If so, they may need to increase its ratings.

[tylerblakebrandon]

It's in the DB

https://cmano-db.com/aircraft/2569/

[BDukes]

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/cr ... hp&pc=U531

The TU-141 drone entered USSR service in 1979 and looks appropriately unwieldy and ancient in design - you half-expect Yuri Gargarin to be waving alongside. Apparently, only Ukraine still operates them but both Ukraine and Russia deny it is theirs. Still, it flew over three NATO countries unchallenged before crashing in Croatia, thankfully with no casualties. Understandably, Croatia is a bit upset, and Hungary seems to have heard about the drone flying through their airspace only after the Croats told them about the crash. Romania says "hey, it was only passing through our airspace for three minutes." Not a great look for NATO, but maybe I am being too harsh.

Do they have TU-141 in CMANO? If so, they may need to increase its ratings.

I haven't seen any details on this yet but if it's fast and low nobody is going to catch that in some of those areas. Lots of mountains and ground clutter.

Mike

[Eggstor]

According to War is Boring, it's neither particularly fast (a tick under transsonic) nor exactly ground-hugging (it operates at just under 20,000 feet).

[thewood1]

As soon as I saw the news article about it, I wondered about the old school film camera it carried. Refitting to a connected digital camera is no easy task.

Turning it into a weapon might be easier.

[BDukes]

According to War is Boring, it's neither particularly fast (a tick under transsonic) nor exactly ground-hugging (it operates at just under 20,000 feet).

Thanks. Definitely a little more alarming now.

Mike

[thewood1]

TASS stated that one crashed in Crimea on March 11. I suspect Ukraine is testing them. I would think with the type of camera and sensors used, they would have to fly relatively high to useful.

And there is also this...

https://avia-pro.net/news/nad-ukrainoy- ... dlezhnosti

[thewood1]

Just ran a test with a mission for the TU-141 coming out of an area around Novobarovo, Ukraine and heading southwest towards Zagreb, Croatia. Altitude is 12k meters and speed 480 knots. It spends a few minutes over Romania but the bulk of its flight is over Hungary. I placed a Patriot battery in Hungary along the flight path. The Patriot detects the TU-141 at around 90 nm. But it never IDs it. On a one way mission, it runs out of fuel just past Zagreb and crashes.

According to news reports, NATO actually detected the flight, but listed it as non-threat. Not sure if that was the right or not. But the test I ran matches the flight path I would have expected.

[Eggstor]

The Ukrainians brought them out of retirement in 2014, so I'd imagine they have updated the surveillance package somewhat. Given, among other things, the antiquated avionics and the small payload, I rather doubt it would have been converted into a weapon

I suspect this one failed to make a turn early on in its mission.

[elxaime]

Report today says drone had an "explosive device." Croats suggested that as to whether drone was Russian or Ukrainian origin “there are elements that indicated it could have come from both.” https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/of ... NewsSearch

I am beginning to wonder if that car bomb killed Dressler after all.

Let no man call us crazy. They called Hitler crazy. But Hitler was not crazy. He was stupid. You don't fight Russia *and* America. You get Russia and America to fight each other...

[Dimitris]

Do they have TU-141 in CMANO? If so, they may need to increase its ratings.

We should also give the Cessna 172 and the MiG-23 the RCS of a F-117.

Let's see who gets that.

[stww2]

A reference to the 1987 incident in which a German pilot landed a C172 near Moscow's Red Square, perhaps?

[KnightHawk75]

A reference to the 1987 incident in which a German pilot landed a C172 near Moscow's Red Square, perhaps?

I mean there was that Cessna incident on the White House lawn too. (1994)