A newly unveiled Russian kamikaze drone used to destroy a HIMARS multiple launch rocket system operated by the Ukrainian Armed Forces could significantly expand Russia’s ability to strike high-value targets at long range, according to Defence Blog.

The outlet drew attention to video footage capturing the moment a HIMARS launcher was hit by a jet-powered loitering munition under direct control. The strike targeted a moving system inside a populated area of the Chernigov region, roughly 50 kilometers from the border with Russia’s Bryansk region.

Imagery released from a reconnaissance drone shows a UAV equipped with a jet engine and swept wings rapidly closing in on the rocket system. Defence Blog noted that this is the first confirmed appearance of such a drone in the zone of the special military operation. The speed demonstrated in the footage suggests the platform can be deployed almost immediately after a target is detected, increasing the likelihood of hitting mobile systems that rely on «shoot-and-scoot» tactics.

The publication also recalled that the Russian Armed Forces previously relied on Iskander-M ballistic missiles to engage priority targets, including multiple launch rocket systems. Against this background, the emergence of a jet-powered kamikaze drone may offer a more cost-effective way to disable this type of equipment.

The Telegram channel Osvyedomitel expressed the view that the destroyed HIMARS may have been struck by an S-71M Monokhrom jet-powered drone.

Earlier reports also stated that crews from the GROM Kaskad brigade destroyed an M142 HIMARS launcher that had been used to strike the Bryansk region.