Ukraine’s army has added a powerful unmanned air vehicle (UAV) to its arsenal. It is capable of flying up to 2,000 km, carrying a 250 kg bomb, and returning to the base. The new drone may be the most powerful re-purpose UAV posted in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
On Friday, the Unmanned System Branch of the Ukrainian Army confirmed the development of the UAV. The branch said in a statement, “This is a unique development that changes the rules of sports on the battlefield.”
Since the full -scale invasion of Ukraine three years ago, their engineers are manufacturing drones that can fly long distances. Recent attacks on Russian targets over 1,610 km away sugges the development of a re -appropriate bomber drone, which was confirmed on Friday, said forbes.
The ability to release the bomb of the new drone and return to the base means that it can carry several missions until it is finally worn, shot, or crashes. It can significantly increase the frequency and scale of deep attacks against Russian goals, especially in light of recent attacks on bomber’s bases and oil features.
These attacks have increased the cost of Russian bombing missions against Ukrainian cities and reduced oil production in Russia, which is highly dependent on energy exports for state revenue.
Although specific airframes used for long distance drones are unclear, photographic evidence suggests that it can be a modified citizen sports aircraft. The Ukrainian drone regiments have operated the first propeller -powered aeroprat A -22 sport aircraft, fitted with remote control and underbelley bomb racks. But these A -22 have been used only for one -way mission, which has crashed in goals such as slow -moving cruise missiles.
Drone is easy to fly using GPS and satellite radio, but landing can be difficult. Small drone can use parachutes, while older people need a runway. Top terrorists have advanced landing systems, but it is not clear that Ukraine is adding them to its cheap strike drone, which costs a few hundred thousand dollars in each.
This latest development is part of Ukraine’s ongoing campaign to destroy Russian refineries, oil depots and industrial sites that support Russia’s war efforts.
The Volgograd Refinery, who was killed by the Ukrainian drone attack, was one of the eldest in Russia, and the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disines, Andrey Kowlanko, told Al Jazeera.
Earlier this week, Kiev claimed responsibility for the strike on a look at a look at a Lukoil refinery in the Nizhny Novgorod region east of Moscow. Last week, a drone attack forced a refinery to suspend operations in Ryzan in the south -east of Moscow.
On Thursday, nine people, including three elderly couples, were killed in a Russian drone attack on a residential block in Sumi, a city in East Ukraine.
