Shot: During the attack on Shuya, the Ukrainian Armed Forces used a Fierce drone
On Wednesday morning, April 16, kamikaze drones of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) attacked the city of Shuya, Ivanovo region. According to the Telegram channel Shot, drones similar to the Fierce devices were spotted in the sky above the city.
Later, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that air defense systems destroyed seven Ukrainian drones in the Ivanovo region between 08:00 and 09:40 Moscow time. There were also shots showing the defeat of the device. They show a drone that descends after being hit. Judging by the sound of gunfire, the device was shot down with small arms.
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| Bayraktar TB2. |
| Source: Abed Rahim Khatib / Anadolu / Getty Images |
The drone "Fierce" was developed by the Antonov company
The development of a kamikaze drone was announced in the fall of 2022. At that time, it was stated that the 200-kilogram device was capable of delivering a 75-kilogram warhead to a range of up to 1,000 kilometers. The first serial batch was prepared in August 2023.
In 2024, it became known that the device was developed by Antonov. It is believed that this drone is used by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, the Security Service and the Air Force of Ukraine.
"Fierce" carries 50 kilograms of explosives
The low-wing with a double-girder fuselage looks similar to the Turkish Bayraktar TB2. The drone's body is made of fiberglass, and metal mesh and plywood are used for structural strength. The Fierce received a gasoline engine with a capacity of about 50 horsepower with a pusher propeller. The engine is similar to the German Hirth F-23 power unit.
It is believed that the warhead of the devices has been reduced to 50 kilograms. A warhead of the "impact core" type has a fragmentation effect. The Fierce uses an inertial guidance system with satellite correction. A Pitot tube is installed in the nose of the drone to measure flight parameters.
The "Fierce" drones fly at pre-set coordinates
The author of the Telegram channel "Zapiski Veterana" noted that the accuracy of drones is "Fierce" low. They are flying according to the set coordinates. At the same time, coordinates are substituted to counteract such drones.
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| Ukrainian UAVs of the "Fierce" type. |
| Source: Photo: TASS/AP |
"Why do the Ukrainian Armed Forces, knowing this, continue to launch them? The same reason why they randomly, without any military sense, shell Belgorod or Shebekino with MLRS is simply in retaliation for the defeat of their military targets," the channel writes.
The Russian Armed Forces use mobile air defense groups to destroy kamikaze drones.
The Russian Armed Forces (AF) actively use mobile air defense groups to combat kamikaze drones. They are armed with machine guns and other small arms mounted on the chassis of pickups and trucks.
In March, a video appeared showing the interception of a Fierce drone by a mobile group at night. Searchlights are used to illuminate targets in the night sky.
In February, the armament of one of the groups of drone hunters was shown in the photo. A YakB-12.7 four-barrel aviation machine gun with a thermal imager was installed in the body of the pickup truck, which displays the image on the monitor. This allows you to confidently hit targets at any time of the day. The YakB-12.7 provides a rate of fire of up to 4,500 rounds per minute, and the aiming range of the machine gun is 1,500 meters.
