Myanmar resistance forces capture junta surveillance drone in Sagaing Region

Resistance forces in Sagaing Region’s Ayadaw Township say they seized a high-end Chinese-made reconnaissance drone belonging to the junta on Wednesday. According to a spokesperson for the Ayadaw Township People’s Defence Organization (PDO), the drone crashed due to a technical malfunction, sustaining damage to one front and one rear wing. Photos provided by the resistance forces indicate that the drone is a reconnaissance model manufactured by Chinese company AheadX. The drone is identified as a VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing) type, capable of taking off and landing without a runway. Local residents initially mistook the crashed drone for an explosive device and reported it to village officials. The officials, along with local resistance fighters, decided to dismantle the drone, removing its GPS and other critical components and storing them in a secure location. Zay Thu Aung, a former air force captain taking part in the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM), confirmed that the drone is a type used by the military for aerial reconnaissance purposes. Tactical Raptor 2.0, a Facebook group that specialises in military technology, identified the drone as possibly being AheadX’s QP537 model, valued at more than US$26,000. It also said the drone is industrial-grade rather than amateur, featuring high-performance cameras and thermal imaging systems. Ayadaw Township is about 25 miles northeast of Monywa, Sagaing Region’s capital and largest city. Most of the township, apart from its administrative centre, is controlled by resistance forces. Although reconnaissance drones have been used in Monywa since late 2022, their use in Ayadaw Township began only this year. The PDO spokesperson speculated that the crashed drone might have originated from the headquarters of the junta’s Northwestern Regional Military Command, located in Monywa. This drone model can remain airborne for up to eight hours and has a range of more than 90 miles. It uses a battery to support the four propellers used for take-off and landing, and a rear oil engine for sustaining flight, enabling prolonged flight duration. The military’s drone use has significantly increased since it seized power in 2021. According to Kaung Thu Win, a former army captain who has also joined the CDM, drones were rarely used before the coup because they are expensive and prone to damage. The junta employs drones primarily for reconnaissance and bomb attacks. Since late 2021, resistance fighters have also used drones to target junta positions, including the Aye Lar air force base and the military headquarters in Naypyitaw. The Brotherhood Alliance, consisting of ethnic Ta’ang, Kokang, and Rakhine armed groups, has used drones extensively since the start of its Operation 1027 anti-regime offensive late last year. Since the beginning of this year, the junta has increased drone attacks in areas with strong armed resistance, such as central Magway and Sagaing regions and Chin, Karen (Kayin), and Kayah (Karenni) states, resulting in civilian and resistance force casualties.

Myanmar resistance forces capture junta surveillance drone in Sagaing Region

The military has dramatically increased its use of drones since seizing power in response to their successful deployment by regime opponents

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