Tertius News is an AI-native newsroom: an AI model reads the source articles linked below — on this story, all of them from one outlet — and extracts what that outlet reported, claim by claim. How this works →

Gadalka electronic recon system with UAV detection range of up to 50 km presented in Kazan

At the Drone Expo 2026 in Kazan, Groza Group presented the Night Witch combat hexacopter, the Gadalka electronic reconnaissance system, and the Sova-55 reconnaissance UAV. KRET also showcased the Saturn-30 drone. The systems feature advanced capabilities including long-range detection and extended flight times.

By Tertius News AI Desk 1 outlet · 4 articles Version 1 Coverage Jul 8–10, 2026 Published Aug 15

Lead

At the Drone Expo 2026 International Exhibition of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Kazan, Russian defense companies have presented a range of new unmanned systems, including a combat hexacopter, a long-range reconnaissance UAV, and an electronic reconnaissance system. The exhibition, held from July 8 to 10 at the Kazan Expo International Exhibition Center, features over 200 companies from more than 20 countries.

Coverage Comparison

All reporting on these developments comes from TASS, the Russian state news agency. TASS covered the unveiling of the Night Witch hexacopter, the Gadalka electronic reconnaissance system, the Sova-55 UAV, and the Saturn-30 drone, attributing information to company representatives and a TASS correspondent.

Key Claims

Night Witch Combat Hexacopter

Groza Group unveiled the Night Witch combat hexacopter at the expo. According to a Groza representative, the drone is used for aerial mining, bombing enemy positions, and delivering supplies to hard-to-reach areas. With a maximum payload of 15 kg, the aircraft can fly 7 km and remain airborne for up to 20 minutes. When carrying an optimal payload of 10 kg, its range increases to 20 km and flight time to up to 45 minutes.

Gadalka Electronic Reconnaissance System

Groza Group also displayed the Gadalka electronic reconnaissance system, which can detect enemy drones within a radius of up to 50 km. The system operates in passive mode, meaning it does not emit signals but only receives them. It scans an area of 8,500 square kilometers and searches in the frequency range from 890 to 6,000 MHz, simultaneously monitoring up to five bands. The Gadalka can transmit information to military personnel in real time via integration with the Glaz/Groza battle management system, with all data transferred to a single closed server.

Sova-55 Reconnaissance UAV

Groza Group presented the Sova-55 aircraft-type reconnaissance UAV, which has a range of 500 km. The drone operates on a hybrid propulsion system and can stay airborne for 12 hours. It is primarily used for reconnaissance, with a secondary purpose of carrying FPV attack drones and repeaters. The Sova-55 can carry a payload of up to 15 kg, has a wingspan of 470 cm, a maximum takeoff weight of 56 kg, and can fly at altitudes up to 5 km. Its cruising speed is 100 km/h and maximum speed is 126 km/h. It can operate in temperatures ranging from -30 to +45 degrees Celsius.

Saturn-30 Drone

KRET, a subsidiary of the Rostec State Corporation, presented the Saturn-30 drone. The drone is designed for testing unmanned aerial vehicle equipment, conducting reconnaissance missions, and delivering payloads of up to 7 kg. Its streamlined design allows for longer distances in less time, with a maximum speed of 180 km/h and flight time of up to an hour. The drone has a flight weight of 30 kg and can be used for reconnaissance and special operations.

How this outlet told it

TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 12:01 PM UTC

Framing: Technological advancement — Informative

Facts Included:

Groza Group unveiled the Night Witch combat hexacopter
Drone's combat range with a 10-kg payload is 20 km
Maximum payload of 15 kg
Flight time of up to 20 minutes with 15 kg payload
Flight time of up to 45 minutes with 10 kg payload

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC

Framing: Technological advancement — Informative

Facts Included:

Gadalka electronic reconnaissance system
Detects enemy drones within a radius of up to 50 km
Operates in passive mode
Scans an area of 8,500 square kilometers

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jul 8, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC

Framing: Technological advancement — Informative

Facts Included:

Sova-55 aircraft-type reconnaissance UAV
Range of 500 km
Hybrid propulsion system
Payload of up to 15 kg

Read the source article →

TASS — English as of Jul 8, 2026, 2:01 PM UTC

Framing: Technological advancement — Informative

Facts Included:

Saturn-30 drone
Streamlined design
Maximum speed of 180 km/h
Flight time of up to an hour

Read the source article →

What was claimed, and who backed it

Each row is one claim, attributed to the outlet whose wording states it most clearly. Confidence rates how directly the source text states the claim — explicit and unhedged rates high; hedged, pieced-together, or internally inconsistent statements rate lower. It does not measure whether the claim is true. Status counts the distinct outlets we found asserting it — so a single-source claim can still show high confidence, and a multi-source claim can show medium. Every one of those outlets is named beside the status, so you can check the count against the list. For claims extracted before we began storing that list, the row says so: it names the outlet the claim is quoted from and states that we have not recorded which outlets backed it. Outlets wrote at different times, so a figure that evolves — a casualty count, for example — can legitimately differ between rows; check the "as of" time next to each claim's source.

Claim	Confidence	Status
ClaimThe Groza Group has unveiled the Night Witch combat hexacopter at the Drone Expo 2026 International Exhibition of Unmanned Aerial Systems in Kazan.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 12:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe drone's combat range with a 10-kg payload is 20 km.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 12:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe Night Witch hexacopter has a maximum payload of 15 kg.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 12:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe Night Witch hexacopter can fly for up to 20 minutes with a 15 kg payload and up to 45 minutes with a 10 kg payload.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 10, 2026, 12:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe Gadalka electronic reconnaissance system can detect enemy drones within a radius of up to 50 km.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe Gadalka system operates in passive mode and scans an area of 8,500 square kilometers.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 9, 2026, 8:30 AM UTC
ClaimThe Sova-55 aircraft-type reconnaissance UAV has a range of 500 km.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 8, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC
ClaimThe Sova-55 UAV operates on a hybrid propulsion system and can carry a payload of up to 15 kg.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 8, 2026, 2:31 PM UTC
ClaimThe Saturn-30 drone has a streamlined design and a maximum speed of 180 km/h.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 8, 2026, 2:01 PM UTC
ClaimThe Saturn-30 drone has a flight time of up to an hour.	ConfidenceHigh	StatusSingle-source via TASS — English as of Jul 8, 2026, 2:01 PM UTC

Transparency & Audit Trail

1 outlet · 4 articles consulted: TASS — English 10 claims extracted Version 1 Written 2026-08-15