Ukrainian long-range drones

2 July 2024 6 minutes Author: Murder

Ukrainian unmanned and aerial vehicles, their development, technical characteristics and combat use in the conflict with Russia are considered. The importance of these drones in changing the tactics of warfare, their effectiveness in achieving strategic goals, and their influence on the course of the war is emphasized.

A guide to Ukrainian long-range strike drones

Russia’s use of long-range unmanned aerial vehicles, in particular the Iranian Shahed type, against Ukraine is well known. These devices are called single-action unmanned aerial vehicles (OWA-UAVs) or informally “kamikaze drones”. They are used in large attacks together with more expensive cruise missiles. Although the Shahedi are a powerful offensive weapon in their own right, they are used to load Ukrainian air defenses and increase the effectiveness of cruise missiles.

Ukraine is also increasingly using this type of drones. Like the enemy, Ukraine uses OWA-UAVs as part of large packages to increase the success of cruise missiles. In addition, Ukraine uses them for long-range attacks on strategic targets deep in Russian territory. This serves several purposes. Targets such as oil depots and airfields are of strategic importance. These attacks also help make the Russian population more aware of the war. In addition, it forces Russian air defenses to deploy far from the front.

This article will discuss Ukrainian OWA UAVs capable of striking deep into Russian territory

Mugin-5

Initially, Ukraine used commercially available drones, such as the Chinese Mugin-5 (also known as Skyeye 5000). These drones were used in August 2022 to attack the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet in Sevastopol, Crimea. Other similar attacks have damaged critical infrastructure.

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Tu-143 Flight

The Tu-143 “Flight” is a jet reconnaissance drone of the Soviet era, which is still kept in the arsenal of the Ukrainian military. After a full-scale invasion in 2022, it was converted to weapons and used as an improvised cruise missile.

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UJ-22

A single-engine drone capable of carrying an internal warhead or multiple air-drop bombs. Its carrying capacity is up to 20 kg. With a length of approximately 3.7 meters and a wingspan of 4.2 meters, it is one of the largest OWA-UAVs in service. The radius is about 800 km.

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Morok

Elegant OWA UAV based on the RZ-60 target drone. It has a comparatively smaller range of 300 km and a small warhead of only 3 kg. It is launched using a rocket and can develop a decent 290 km/h.

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UJ-25 Skyline

The UJ-25 Skyline is an armed modification of the Ukrajet UJ-23 Topaz target drone. It is a jet drone with subtle lines and characteristic arrow-shaped wings. Details about him are known in a limited amount.

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Banshee

At least one British Banshee unmanned aerial vehicle has reportedly crashed behind Russian lines. The Banshee is a high performance jet drone used by the Royal Navy.

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AQ-400 Scythe

The Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe is a volunteer project that has gone into serial production. The drone has a rough, boxy fuselage and tandem wings with distinct endplates at the front. It has a range of about 750 km (465 miles), which is slightly less than some other models, but the payload is heavier at 32 kg (70 lb).

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UJ-26 Beaver

One of the most famous types, the Beaver, has a distinctive configuration with a smooth fuselage and an inverted tail. This drone was introduced in 2023 and has reportedly gone into mass production. It has a range of about 1,000 km (620 mi) and a payload of 20 kg (44 lb). This type of drone was used for attacks on Moscow and other targets in Russia.

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Р-15

The design of the drone has straight wings with a single propeller in a tractor configuration (located at the front) and a double tail. It is smaller than most other “long-range” UAVs, with a length of only 1.2 meters and a wingspan of about 2.4 meters. In March 2024, it reappeared in large-scale attacks involving various types of drones.

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February

The February is relatively large with a traditional UAV design. It is superficially similar to the Turkish-made Bayraktar TB2, but not in detail. The design was revealed by Deputy Minister of Strategic Industries Anna Gvozdiar in November 2022. The Furious has a design similar to a light aircraft, indicating a higher unit cost, but it likely has a longer range and larger payload compared to some of the other models.

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Sky Ranger Ninja

A single OFAB-100-120 aerial bomb is attached to the rails under the fuselage. At first glance it may appear that the bomb is intended to be dropped on a target, but it appears to be part of a one-way system. Another unusual feature of this OWA-UAV is the presence of a camera ball under the fuselage. This indicates the possibility of high-bandwidth two-way communication, which provides greater accuracy, especially in conditions where GPS is not available.

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Lord

Developed by the Swiss aerospace company Destinus, the Lord has a relatively simple design. Its aerodynamic simplicity, boxy fuselage and modest dimensions indicate a low production cost. Like the AQ-400 Scythe and some other models, it seems to focus on performance. Performance is likely to be quite high, with a possible range of around 750 km and a relatively large payload.

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Shahpar III

The Turkish-Pakistani Y-III project has a long and thin fuselage with straight wings and uniform tail surfaces. Its production is rocket and relatively complex. Given the small internal volume, the range may be less compared to other designs, but it was still used against targets in Russia. In addition, this type of drone was also used by Pakistan to strike targets in Iran.

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A22 Foxbat

On April 2, 2024, a large drone was recorded attacking a building associated with a factory in Yelabuz, Tatarstan. The factory, which reportedly produces Shahed drones, is 1,300 km (807 miles) from the Ukrainian-Russian border. The drone appears to be an armed light aircraft. Multiple sources have identified the base aircraft as a Ukrainian-made Aeroprakt A-22 Foxbat ultralight.

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E-300 and D-80 Discovery

Ukrainian manufacturer AeroDrone supplies E-300 Enterprise and D-80 Discovery drones. So far, none of them have been confirmed to be used for strategic strikes. The E-300, which resembles a light aircraft, is based on the Eros Skyranger model. The clumsy but functional D-80 Discovery was originally intended for agricultural work. These drones demonstrate Ukraine’s capabilities in the field of unmanned technologies.

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Gorgon

The Ukrainian drone manufacturer Miltech Group has put the OWA-Gorgon UAV on the stock exchange. Range and payload, as well as operational status, are unknown.

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Long-range drones (part 2)
In this article, we analyze how Ukrainian kamikaze drones are changing modern military strategies, review their technical characteristics, compare them with the Iranian Shahed and other analogues, and explore the future prospects of this innovative technology.
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