Russia shows off series of suicide UAV production lines

The Russian military released a video of Minister Shoigu visiting a series of defense industry factories, including the production lines of Geran and Lancet suicide UAVs.

Russian military television reported on February 10 that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu visited units of the Central Military District, then inspected the progress of implementing orders for reconnaissance and suicide unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) at defense industry plants in Udmurtia.

The video shows Shoigu inspecting the production lines of the Kalashnikov Concern's Geran-2 and Lancet suicide UAVs, the Supercam reconnaissance aircraft factory, the Vikhr anti-tank guided missile manufacturing facility and short-range air defense missiles for the Strela-10 complex.

Russia shows off series of suicide UAV production lines — Mr. Shoigu visited the production line of UAVs and guided missiles in a video released on February 10. Video: *Zvezda*

"The Defense Minister was introduced to new composite materials, which significantly increase the survivability of UAVs. Zala Aero also presented the development of new generation UAVs based on the experience of special operations, allowing real-time analysis and data processing, connecting all products into a unified network capable of automatically identifying and attacking targets," the Russian military said.

In a meeting with defense business leaders later, Shoigu set a goal of increasing the quality and output of UAVs by accelerating automation of production lines.

Suicide UAVs are designed to carry explosives and attack targets behind enemy lines. Unlike traditional large UAVs that can launch missiles, drop bombs, and return to base after the attack, suicide UAVs only launch a single attack.

Russia is deploying many types of suicide UAVs for the campaign in Ukraine, notably the Geran-2 with an estimated range of 2,500 km and the Lancet, which specializes in attacking targets in frontline areas.

Their small size, composite construction, and low infrared signature make them difficult to detect. Their low cost and large numbers make Ukrainian soldiers reluctant to fire expensive anti-aircraft missiles to intercept them.

In an article about technological challenges on the battlefield published in November 2023, General Valeri Zaluzhny, then commander of the Ukrainian army, mentioned Russian cruise missiles a lot and emphasized that this weapon is "very difficult to deal with".

Vu Anh (According to Zvezda, Reuters )

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