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Strike drones with a range of up to 1000 kilometers are now being tested.
Why use old Soviet-era drones, if you can build an entirely modern version? It seems this is the course pursued by the Ukrainian company Ukroboronprom. This secret project was first introduced two months ago. According to the recently revealed information, the Ukrainian army will soon be armed with a new strike drone.
Ukrainian state-owned defense industry company has developed several models of military drones in the past. Image credit: Ukroboronprom
The developer also says that the new military UAV is “almost ready” and is being tested.
The new drone will be capable of long-range flight, in this regard putting it into a similar category to the Iranian kamikaze drone “Shahed“. However, it will have its own set of operational characteristics.
Contrary to most kamikaze drones, the Ukrainian model is intended to be returnable. What could this mean in practice?
In real-world scenarios, not all UAVs successfully reach their targets – sometimes the enemy object is moved to another location, or it receives additional support making the entire operation not feasible. In such situations, the possibility of returning the unmanned strike aircraft back to its starting location is particularly valuable.
The new drone will be able to achieve a maximum flight range of up to 1000 km (620 miles). The weight of the warhead is 75 kg (165 pounds).
“It (drone – ed.) already is. I would call it a “zero patient.” The vehicle flies. When talking about an attack drone, we are talking about a kamikaze option. But we, Ukrainians, are greedy – that is why we will have a kamikaze with the possibility of returning,” commented Oleg Boldyrev, project manager of the Ukrainian concern Ukroboronprom.
He also noted that the new drones are mostly made using foreign components.
“Almost an entire UAV consists of foreign parts. That’s an honest answer. I’m sorry, but Ukraine does not make video cameras of the required resolution,” Oleg Boldyrev summed up.
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