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The Ukrainian military uses stealthy Punisher drones that can fly long distances while remaining undetected.
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The “game-changing” drones are remotely controlled and can carry 3kg of explosives.
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As the battle for Ukrainian airspace continues, experts are taken aback by Russia’s lack of air power.
The Ukrainian military uses “game-changing” drones that can carry 3kg of explosives and hit targets up to 30 miles behind enemy lines, The Times of London reported.
Eugene Bulatsev, an engineer with Ukrainian designer UA-Dynamics, told the outlet that the “game-changing” Punisher drones had completed up to 60 “successful” missions since the Russian invasion began.
“This is the cheapest and easiest way to deal a blow from a long distance without endangering the lives of civilians,” Bulatsev told the newspaper.
The electric drones have a wingspan of 7.5 feet and can fly for hours at 1,300 feet and need only the coordinates of their target so they can perform their mission automatically, Bulatsev said.
A smaller reconnaissance drone called Specter flies alongside to identify targets before the Punisher strikes.
After fighting started in eastern Ukraine in 2014, a group of veterans launched drone-making company UA-Dynamics last month, according to a report by Haaretz.
“Three-quarters of the company’s employees are veterans with experience in special operations deep in enemy territory,” Maxim Subbotin, a marketing expert and an unofficial spokesperson for UA-Dynamics, told the paper.
Bulatsev said the main targets were stationary, including fuel and ammunition storage, electronic and counter-electronic warfare stations and anti-aircraft systems.
Several units in the Ukrainian military are using the drones, but the number and locations where the Punisher drones are deployed has been classified, Bulatsev said.
Bulatsev previously told The Sun that stealthy Punisher drones “wrought havoc behind pro-Russian lines on Donbas for years because the enemy has no idea what hit them.”
He told the outlet that the drone is relatively small and light and undetectable by radars.
“In addition, it can drop three bombs at once or hit three separate targets and then return to base to be reloaded and sent back into battle in minutes,” Bulatsev told The Sun.
British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace told Sky News Ukraine had partially blocked Russia’s advance by executing a “very clever plan”.
“We’ve seen footage that we can’t verify, but we’ve seen footage of Ukrainians using UAVs (UAVs) to attack petrol train convoys, to go after logistics lines. And I’m thinking of when it comes to resistance Wallace said.
In addition to the Punisher drones, the Ukrainian military also uses about 20 of Turkey’s highly regarded Bayraktar TB2 drones.
Videos shared by the Ukrainian military last week showed at least one attack by a TB2 drone that appeared to tear apart a column of Russian tanks and armored vehicles.
The drones are deployed as the battle continues over the skies of Ukraine after the Russian military invasion.
A senior US defense official described the skies as “controversial” and “very dynamic” in an off-camera press briefing earlier this week, despite Russia claiming to have gained control.
While Russia was expected to quickly take out Ukraine’s air defense capabilities, Ukraine has allegedly shot down Russian fighter jets, helicopters and even troop transport planes in recent days.
Experts were surprised that Russia has not deployed the full force of its air force, as expected.
Read the original article on Business Insider
