Our scouts recently reported seeing an unidentified flying object over Yanov station. A UFO, in other words. Before you ask any stupid questions, a UFO isn't just some flying saucer with Martians in them. It could be any flying object, from a piece of cardboard to a meteorological probe, as long as eyewitnesses were unable to identify it. Got that?
― Duty stalkers in Jupiter
UAV is a side quest in S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Call of Pripyat.
Overview[]
This short side quest revolves around a crashed UAV, a RQ-4 Global Hawk, which was witnessed by numerous stalkers in the area of Yanov. No stalkers are able to inform the player of the crash site's location, although it can be located on the minimap. How it ended up in the Zone is unknown to the stalkers in the area, and even Duty and the Military are at a loss as to how it got in.
Walkthrough[]
To find the UAV aircraft and start the mission, the player needs to reach the northwestern part of Jupiter, just north of the Ash Heap anomaly. This can be done either from the east, by sticking close to the fence, or from the south - the way is hidden behind bushes and a Burner anomaly field. Inspecting the UAV will give the player its memory module. The module can be unblocked either by Nitro or Novikov.
When decoded, the player gets the coordinates of all three of Strelok's stashes. It doesn't matter in what order the player finds the stashes, the contents will always be, in order:
- A note to Ghost and medical supplies.
- A note to Strelok and a lot of various ammo.
- A note to Fang, a unique Strelok's SGI 5k, and some ammo for it.
The way this quest plays out depends largely on who the player gives the module to and when one visits the stashes it recorded.
- If it is given to Novikov, he returns the unblocked memory module after one hour and all the caches are just as described below. This costs 2000 RU.
- If the player gives the module to Nitro, it takes three hours and costs 1000 RU. Also, the mission changes slightly.
- As soon as the player gives the module to Nitro, all stashes are emptied except for the notes and Strelok's SGI-5k.
- If the player returns to Nitro after the work is done, he will only give the stash coordinates and Senka's body will spawn near the last stash visited by the player, carrying the unblocked memory module (described as having been unblocked by Novikov) and other items that would normally be in each of the previously visited stashes.
The unblocked Memory Module can be sold to Owl for 500 RU. Strelok's Group notes can also be sold to Owl or used near the end of the game for the A Keeper of Secrets achievement.
Trivia[]
- Once Nitro decodes the data module, it turns out to have nothing stored on it but soil thickness and vegetation density measurements in addition to the three stash coordinates. It is highly unlikely that a UAV, such as a Global Hawk (as the Global Hawk's only role is for surveillance and reconnaissance) would be dispatched solely for the purpose for gathering such trivial information (even if it was at the request of the Ukrainian Government) and it is infinitely more likely that the UAV initiated a data wipe of all sensitive information that it had collected after it crashed, leaving no trace of any incriminating data behind and providing plausible denial to whomever deployed the drone. The drone possesses no external identification, leaving the identity of its operator in question. However, it is highly likely that the United States or a NATO country (the most likely operator of the drone) has a vested interest in the Zone.
- Considering the data recovered is relevant to Strelok's Group and their movements, it is likely the drone was dispatched to monitor Strelok with the intent of discovering his secret to reaching the Zone's center.
- The player may search Strelok's stashes at any time without completing this mission.
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