Russia’s Zip-Tie Air Force: How a Fighter Jet "Joke" Fooled Western Analysts

Several reputable OSINT analysts thought this was real...

The zip ties should have been a dead giveaway. Even Russia isn’t that dense.

Somewhere in Russia, a group of volunteer drone makers decided to have a little fun.

They strapped a quadcopter to a MiG-29 fighter jet with plastic zip ties, filmed it, and posted the video online with tongue firmly in cheek. The accompanying text talked about “delivering” the d…