Congolese militia displays Estonian UAV

The Threod Systems EOS C. (Threod Systems)

A pro-government militia in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has recovered an EOS C unmanned aerial vehicle made by Estonian company Threod Systems.

A UAV with EOS C written on it was displayed in a video by fighters whose spokesperson identified them as members of the Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo (APCLS), a militia that operates in the Masisi area of North Kivu province against the Rwandan-backed March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group.

The APCLS spokesperson, who may have been Janvier Karairi, the group's commander, said the UAV was built in Estonia, operated by Rwanda, and shot down in Masisi on 30 March. He added that two other aircraft were shot down in the Walikale area, about 80 km to the west, during the previous week and called on the government to support the Wazalendo, a collective name for militias fighting M23.

The UAV did not appear to have been hit by a weapon, raising the possibility that it crashed due to a malfunction.

The EOS C is an electrically powered vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) surveillance UAV. Threod said it has a maximum take-off weight of 14.2 kg with a 1.1 kg payload, an endurance of up to 3 hours, and a communications range of 50 km.

The one displayed by the APCLS appeared to be fitted with Threod's eOPIC-5 electro-optic system, which has high-definition colour and long-wavelength infrared cameras.

Ukraine was previously the only confirmed operator of the EOS C and Threod declined to comment on the recovery of one in the DRC.

For more information, please seeThreod Systems EOS .