Status: 30.11.2023, 18:39 PM
By: Marius Gogolla
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The Ukrainian vampire drone is fast, difficult to detect and can be used in the dark. This has earned her a nasty nickname in the Russian army.
Kyiv – They can be used at night, are fast and operate in secret – the Ukrainian vampire drones have become a terror for the Russian armed forces. The soldiers even have their own nickname for the drones: Baba Yaga, after a vicious witch from Slavic folklore.
According to Ukrainian information, the vampire drones make it possible to fly particularly close to Russian tanks and Russian facilities in the dark and attack them with the drone's large explosive charge.
On Tuesday, November 28, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense shared a video of the vampire drone from government-run crowdfunding platform United24. In it, it called the unmanned aerial vehicle the "nightmare of the Russians."
Ukrainian vampire drones are fast and can carry high payloads
According to a report by the US news website Business Insider, the vampire drones can carry payloads of up to 15 kilograms and reach a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour. They have a range of about 10 kilometers. The vampire drones are produced in Ukraine.
In addition to explosive charges, they should also be able to be used as motherships for smaller drones, as can be seen in a video on X, formerly Twitter, by user PStyleOne1. During transport, the batteries of the smaller drones are charged, making it possible to attack targets at distances of up to 30 kilometers. This is reported by The New Voice of Ukraine. Another advantage of vampire drones, according to Business Insider, is that they are less susceptible to Russian radio jamming signals.
Thanks to thermal imaging: Vampire drones can attack enemies at night
Because the Ukrainian vampire drones are equipped with thermal imaging technology, it is possible to attack enemy positions and vehicles even at night. Although other drones also have thermal imaging technology, their payload is not as high as that of the vampire drones, according to Ukrainian information.
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A Ukrainian soldier mounts an RPG missile on a combat drone, September 2023. © IMAGO/Adrien Vautier / Le Pictorium
Back in August of this year, the Army of Drones project provided the Ukrainian Armed Forces with over 270 vampire drones. This was announced on Telegram by Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for Innovation and Minister for Digital Transformation. He posted a video on X showing a room full of vampire drones that were supposed to be sent to the front lines to "support our Ukrainian soldiers during the counteroffensive."
Drones play an important role in the Ukraine war
Since the beginning of the Ukraine war in February 2022, drones have played an important role. Both Russia and Ukraine produce drones for use in war, using modern high-tech and modified hobby models.
Russia and Ukraine are increasingly using kamikaze drones in war. According to an analysis of publicly available data by analyst Andrew Perpetua, the loss of more than half of the material lost by Russian President Vladimir Putin's army in Ukraine is said to be due to the use of drones. The data cannot be independently verified. (mag)