Russia has been purchasing components from Western countries since the war in Ukraine broke out to build Orlan-10 drones and uses a chain of suppliers to bypass sanctions, reads a joint investigation by IStories, Reuters, and the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).
Photo: mil.ru
According to the UK’s RUSI, Orlan drones contain components from American companies such as Altera, Xilinx, Texas Instruments, Microchip Technology, Analog Devices, Linear Technology, Europe’s STMicroelectronics and NXP Semiconductors, as well as Japan’s Renesas Electronics and Saito Seisakusho.
Russia’s Special Technological Centre that produces these drones has been targeted by sanctions and, therefore, cannot buy components itself. However, middlemen from the US, China, and Russia make it possible to establish a link between the Western supplier and the Russian exporter to evade restrictions.
One of such intermediaries is Russia’s SMT-Ilogik, which supplies foreign parts to the Special Technological Centre. Several co-owners of this company were listed as the centre’s employees in 2021. SMT-Ilogik, in turn, receives shipments from China’s Asia Pacific Links. Since the Russian invasion in Ukraine began, Asia Pacific Links has sent $6 million worth of components to SMT-Ilogik. Almost all imported parts arrived from China labelled as non-military.
There’s an American middleman as well. Ik Tech between 2018 and 2021 supplied $2 million worth of goods to Russia. More than 90% of them were exported by SMT-Ilogik. In particular, almost 1,400 GUM3703FEBY processor modules produced by Gumstix which are used in Orlans were among these goods.
In February, the owner of the company was arrested on the charge of smuggling military and dual-use products into Russia. He told the court that certain Russian managers back in 2016 involved him “in supplying products while bypassing export restrictions”.
It is noted that Orlan-10 drones are used to search for Ukrainian military personnel and lock fire. The drones can also intercept calls, jam communications, and send out propaganda messages. Germany’s Bild cited a few of them: “Ukrainian soldier, you will not be found until the snow melts”. According to military expert Pavel Luzin, Russia had around 1,500 Orlans before the war started.
