Source: mk.ru
Russia’s newly-introduced combat drones have apparently joined the country’s ongoing special military operation in Ukraine.
On March 4, TV Zvezda shared footage showing a Kronshtadt Orion combat drone targeting a command and control center of the Ukrainian 24th Separate Assault Battalion “Aidar” in an unspecified part of Ukraine. The footage shows some secondary explosions, which confirms that weapons and ammunition were present in the center.
The combat drone targeted the center with a X-BPLA missile, an air-launched version of the Kornet-D anti-tank laser-guided missile. The specifications of the new missile are yet to be revealed.
The Orion, which entered service with the Russian military very recently, has an endurance of 24 hours and a combat reduce of 250 kilometers.
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The Ukrainian military claims that its air defenses have shot down three drones since the start of the Russian special military operation in the country on February 24. However, these claims are yet to be verified.
On March 2, Ukrainian sources released photos of what they claimed to be a downed Russian drone. However, the object was in fact an Eniks E95M aerial target that was apparently launched by the Russian military to test and trick Ukrainian air defenses.
Russia’s ability to operate combat drones over Ukrainian indicate the country’s airspace is not tightly controlled by Kiev forces. The Russian Aerospace Forces have been slowly stepping up their combat operations in the country for the last few days.
