A sophisticated version of Russia’s Lancet kamikaze drone – also referred to as loitering munition – is becoming an increasing threat to the Ukrainian Armed Forces, a US media outlet has reported after analyzing a video released by the Russian Armed Forces.
It appears that the newer Lancet's warheads blow up in the air before firing explosively formed penetrators, such as slugs of molten metal, toward the target, something that helps the Russian unmanned aerial vehicle to evade Ukrainian defenses, according to the outlet.
“Russia's Lancet drones have become a scourge on the battlefield in Ukraine, and have been advancing in their range and capabilities.”
An informed source earlier told Sputnik that their ZALA AERO manufacturer had recently unveiled a range of revolutionary upgrades for the Lancet's hardware and software systems.
“These advancements enable the flexible deployment of kamikaze drones even in situations where targets are not directly visible. Separately, new design-related solutions were also used,” the source added.
The Lancets, alongside various other types of drones, are widely used in the Russian special military operation zone to tackle Kiev’s counteroffensive, which Russian President Vladimir Putin called "more of a failure than a stalemate."