Ukrainian engineers have converted a light civilian aircraft into a heavy long-range strike drone. This drone is stealthy and can carry a large warhead.
This was reported by URA-Inform with reference to Bild.
According to the German publication Bild, the drone is capable of flying more than a thousand kilometers. At the same time, this drone, despite its size, is a difficult target for Russian air defense. This fact can be confirmed by the fact that it struck the capital of Chechnya – Grozny, as well as other regions of the aggressor state located at a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers from the state border of Ukraine.
The publication noted that it is one of several types of weapons for deep strikes that Ukrainian troops have developed in the 34 months since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine. Journalists found out that we are talking about a two-seater A-22 “Flying Fox” aircraft. Since 1996, the Ukrainian company “Aeroprakt” has manufactured more than a thousand copies of this model.
An analysis of the video of the drone strike on the territory of the 2nd Special Police Regiment has revealed the characteristics of this weapon. We are talking about a protected cockpit, where explosives are likely placed. The converted aircraft is able to reach its targets thanks to a small engine, which is almost invisible to Russian air defense systems.
“If the engine of the Storm Shadow missile heats up to 870 degrees, then the engine of this aircraft – up to 100 degrees. Radar protection is provided by a special film. It flies at low speed and low altitude. Russian air defense does not yet have a response to such threats,” — the publication adds.
At the same time, Bild analyst Julian Röpke noted that the weakness of this weapon is the limited number of available units.
At the same time, the Russian Federation may attack one of the NATO countries: the media described a possible scenario for its capture.