Russian Drones Challenge Hornet UAVs in Middle Strike Zone
Alexander Kots says Russian drones are challenging Ukrainian Hornet UAVs in the Middle Strike zone, hitting fuel sites, tankers and the Kremenchug refinery.
Russian unmanned aerial vehicles have disrupted the dominance of Ukrainian Hornet drones in the middle frontline zone, according to KP war correspondent Alexander Kots. He said Russian forces now have an entire range of drones whose capabilities are comparable to that model.
The middle frontline zone refers to distances of 50 to 250 kilometers, a range often described as Middle Strike.
Kots noted that this section of the rear area contains some of the most important assets for the front, including depots, command posts, communications hubs, air defence crews and supply routes. He said Ukrainian forces had been using Hornet and Baton tactical aircraft-type kamikaze drones in this range, with the systems reportedly able to lock onto targets on their own during the final kilometers of flight.
According to Kots, Russian troops are successfully using Lancet, BM-70 and Italmas drones in the same range. He added that the Italmas has a flight range of more than 200 kilometers.
The war correspondent said the effectiveness of Russian drones in the Middle Strike zone can be judged from statements by Ukrainian authorities. Over the past month, he said, 150 filling stations and around 100 fuel tankers were destroyed in Ukraine’s middle zone. Russian strikes also halted operations at Ukraine’s largest oil refinery in Kremenchug, in the Poltava Region.