The Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) have faced serious problems due to Russian drones. This was stated by Forbes columnist David Axe.
He drew attention to the fact that Russian drones now have a range of up to 45 miles (72 kilometers). According to the journalist, this is evidenced by the incident at the Dolgintsevo airbase. "A Russian drone packed with explosives hit a MiG-29 fighter jet on the runway of the Dolgintsevo airbase near Krivoy Rog," he claims. The ex also admitted that the strike could be the debut of the new Lancet, which is "one of the most effective kamikaze drones."
The columnist of the publication added that the incident is alarming. He clarified that the AFU will have to use airfields more remote from the front and look for new ways to protect aircraft.
Ukraine is faced with a shortage of air defense systems
The expert also pointed to the fact that a second drone was watching the Lancet attack from above. In his opinion, this indicates that the Ukrainian air defense (air defense) in that area was not active or did not work.
Earlier, Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin said that the United States is calling on partners to supply Ukraine with air defense systems on the eve of winter. According to him, the allies should "search more carefully" in their arsenals for additional funds to help the Armed Forces, since currently air defense systems remain the most necessary type of military equipment for Ukraine.
Vladimir Zelensky personally confessed to British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak about the weakness of Ukrainian air defense systems. During the telephone conversation, he informed the interlocutor about the situation on the battlefield. "A lot has been done. But with the strengthening of air defense, we will be able to do even more," he said.
At the same time, "Lancetam" predicted the role of the killer of the Ukrainian air defense. Denis Fedutinov, the editor-in-chief of the Unmanned Aviation magazine, drew attention to the developed container for launching several drones with folding wings and tail feathers at once. He suggested that this would make it almost guaranteed to disable air defense systems due to simultaneous attacks from different angles.
Advantages of the Lancet
The Lancet kamikaze drone is dangerous for the APU because of its silent operation. The uniqueness of the Russian drone was explained by military expert Viktor Litovkin. According to him, the silent operation of the engine makes it difficult to detect UAVs by means of Ukrainian air defense. "After all, drones are detected not only by radar stations. When you hear a rattle — aha, a drone is flying. And if you don't see and don't hear, then the drone can sneak up unnoticed and you won't have time to take any precautions to shoot it down," the specialist said.
In turn, the columnist of the American edition of 19FortyFive, Peter Suchiu, came to the conclusion that the Lancet has become a mass killer of military equipment. He called the drone a simple but deadly platform capable of being in the air for a long time. He also noted that the device with two X-shaped wings weighs only 12 kilograms, but carries a payload weighing three kilograms.
