MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA – JUNE 25, 2019: A ZALA Lancet-3 attack drone developed by Kalashnikov Concern on display at the Army 2019 International Military Technical Forum at Patriot Park. Marina Lystseva/TASS
The Russian military has successfully destroyed a Ukrainian Bukovel-AD anti-drone electronic warfare system with a Lancet loitering munition.
Video footage of the pinpoint strike surfaced online on May 5. The strike completely destroyed the system, which was reportedly deployed between the settlements of Kreminna and Svatove in the Luhansk region.
The developer of Bukovel-AD, Ukrainian defense firm Proximus, claims that the system can detect drones at up to 100 kilometer range, jam the data-link between the drone and its operators at 20 kilometers and block the signals of GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, and Beidou positioning systems.
Nevertheless, footage of the strike shows that the system failed to detect or jam the incoming Lancet loitering munition or the reconnaissance drone that was used to coordinate and document the strike.
The electronic warfare system was destroyed by an upgraded version of the Lancet, known as the Izdeliye-51. This version, which features extended wings, has an endurance of 40 minutes and is armed with a warhead weighing three kilograms.
The loitering munition, which was developed by Russia’s ZALA Aero Group, flies towards the designated area with a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system. After arriving in the area, the operator utilizes an onboard electro-optical system via a two-way data-link to detect, track and lock on the target. A laser-ranging system then controls the detonation of the warhead.
The Lancet has proven to be highly effective in suppression of enemy air defense, radar, communication and electronic warfare systems. According to Lostarmour.info, a website that tracks and documents military losses, Lancet loitering munitions have destroyed or damaged at least 47 such systems since the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
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