Moscow's Forest and Environment Protection Department is to use unmanned air vehicles (UAV) systems to patrol the forested areas in the city boundaries, a spokesman said on Friday.

"Moscow will use UAVs for patrolling the forests and detecting fires in the forest belt around the city," the spokesman said.

The department will use the small day-night capable ZALA421 – 04M system, which has a wing span of just 1.6 meters (5.3 feet), weighs just 4.8 kg (10 .6 pounds) and can fly for 90 minutes. "The system uses videocamera or photo imagery. The system uses a mobile ground station and two UAVs," he said.

Navigation for the UAVs uses Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. The UAVs have a top speed of 65 km/h (42 mph), which is optimal for high image quality, he added.

The aircraft use electric motors and are eco-friendly, he said.