Russian UAV manufacturer AFM-Servers still receives satellite services from the US company Iridium

The Russian company AFM-Servers manufactures Kartograf drones. For this purpose, it uses the navigation systems of the American company Iridium. In addition, the UAVs are filled with other foreign components. 

This was reported by journalists of the investigative project Trap Aggressor.

One of the Kartograf samples landed in the Sumy region near the border with Russia. 

As it turned out, the UAV model contains a spark plug made by the Japanese company NGK, wireless connection modules made by the American company DIGI International, and Xilinx chips. The drone's engine is likely to be made in Germany.

The owner of AFM-Servers is Amir Valiyev. The company actively cooperates with the Russian secret service FSS. From 2013 to 2015 alone, it signed military contracts worth more than 100 million rubles. The journalist learned about this from the tender documentation. 

Ukraine imposed sanctions on the company in July 2023.

Iridium is a global satellite communications company with its headquarters in Moscow. In 2015-2022, the Russian company Iridium Communications purchased products from the American company Iridium Satellite. In 2022, the company had a contract with the Russian National Guard.

It will be recalled that Ukraine provided the G7 countries with evidence of Iran's use of components from Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland for the manufacture of Shahed drones.