Russian forces used a fiber-optic-controlled Knyaz Vandal Novgorodsky FPV drone to destroy a US-made Counter-Unmanned Aircraft System Directed Energy, or C-UAS DE, mounted on a Stryker armored personnel carrier.

Alexey Chadaev, CEO of the Ushkuynik research and production center in Veliky Novgorod, told TASS that the vehicle was among the most notable pieces of Western equipment destroyed by the Knyaz Vandal. The drone has already struck various types of armored vehicles and artillery supplied to Ukraine by NATO countries, including modern systems.

Chadaev singled out the destroyed C-UAS DE because of the equipment installed on the vehicle. He described it as carrying numerous turrets and electronic warfare systems, likening the machine to a «military Ferrari.»

The Knyaz Vandal Novgorodsky was developed by specialists at the Ushkuynik research and production center. It is controlled through a fiber-optic cable, making it unaffected by electronic warfare systems.

The drone was first tested in combat during the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ incursion into the Kursk region in August 2024.

Another use of the Knyaz Vandal was previously described by a senior drone operator from the 4th Separate Motorized Rifle Brigade of Russia’s Southern Group of Forces, call sign Mordvin.

While searching for logistics targets near Druzhkovka, the operator unexpectedly spotted a Ukrainian Armed Forces tank moving across a field, even though his crew had not initially been tasked with attacking such equipment.

The first strike failed to stop the tank, which remained mobile and moved into a forest. The operator continued the search, found the vehicle again and launched a second attack. According to Mordvin’s assessment, the tank was no longer able to leave the area after the second hit.