Crashed 'plane' in Tatarstan turns out to be cutting-edge Russian Altius drone - video
The “aircraft” that reportedly crashed in Tatarstan, was in fact the Altius, Russia’s newest military drone, RIA Novosti propaganda news agency wrote on July 8.
This statement comes after social media reports surfaced claiming that a small aircraft, allegedly a Cessna, crashed in a residential area of Kazan, Russia, after circling over the city for some time.
However, videos later emerged showing the aerial object before the crash - and proving it was Russian Altius cutting-edge UAV, which was undergoing a test flight.
“The aircraft crashed due to navigation interference from unidentified electronic warfare systems,” Russian media claimed.
After analyzing the footage, open-source intelligence (OSINT) analysts suggested that the downed object was not a light Cessna plane, but rather a “next-generation” Russian drone.
Several Ukrainian OSINT projects confirmed that the crash involved a modern Altius long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV).
Some sources also refer to the drone as Altair. It is a reconnaissance and strike UAV with a weight of up to 5 tons. Development began in 2011 and was accelerated after 2020. In 2021, the Russian Defense Ministry reportedly signed a contract for the first batch of Altius drones, and in June 2021, it was announced that the drone had conducted its first weapons test.
The Altius is capable of carrying aerial bombs and air-to-surface missiles. During testing, it reportedly deployed these weapons. Thus, Altius is not a kamikaze drone like the Shahed, but rather a Russian attempt to develop an analogue of the American MQ-9 Reaper, capable of both reconnaissance and strike missions.
Tatarstan, where the crash occurred, is one of the key regions in Russia where military drones are assembled and tested.
Following initial reports of a plane crash, several Russian Telegram channels quietly edited their posts, replacing references to a “plane” with the more generic term “aircraft.” If confirmed, the loss of Altius would mark the second known crash of a Russian long-range drone, following the downing of an S-70 Okhotnik (Hunter) UAV in Donetsk Oblast on Oct. 5, 2024.
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