Russian Lancet UAV attacks Ukrainian howitzer hidden in forest

Russia released a video of a Lancet suicide UAV equipped with infrared sensors attacking a Ukrainian FH70 howitzer battery hidden in the forest.

In a video released by the Russian Ministry of Defense today, a Russian reconnaissance drone (UAV) spotted a Ukrainian FH70 howitzer firing from a camouflaged position in a patch of forest.

The Lancet suicide drone then crashed, causing the Ukrainian howitzer to explode violently. Images from the Lancet show that it was equipped with an infrared camera, instead of the optical sensor of previous versions.

Social media accounts supporting the Russian campaign said the Ukrainian FH70 howitzer battery was destroyed near the Vremevsky area in western Donetsk province, one of the fiercest lines of fighting in the counter-offensive campaign waged by Kiev for months.

Ukrainian officials have not commented on the information.

Lancet UAV attacks Ukrainian howitzer hidden in forest — Lancet UAV attacks Ukrainian FH70 howitzer in video released today. Video: *Zvezda*

Russian media last month first published images of the Lancet UAV equipped with infrared sensors attacking Ukrainian artillery, claiming that this option enhances the Lancet's capabilities and allows it to attack targets at night, instead of only operating during the day like the first versions.

"This will allow Russia to choose the moment to strike at will, negatively affecting the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian army," the article on Militarnyi , the largest military news portal in Ukraine, said.

The Lancet UAV was developed by Zala Aero, a subsidiary of Russia's Kalashnikov Concern, based on the KUB-BLA cruise missile and launched in 2019. It fills an important gap between light explosive-carrying drones and long-range suicide UAVs like the Geran-2, meeting the need for medium-range weapons specializing in high-precision strikes and tactical-operational counter-battery.

The first Lancet models could either automatically dive to a target marked by the operator, or be manually controlled to select the most vulnerable position of the target. The latest Lancet version used in Ukraine has the added ability to automatically detect and track targets, without instructions from the control crew.

The situation of the war between Russia and Ukraine. Graphics: WP

The high combat effectiveness has prompted Russia to expand the Lancet production line. Russian state television channel Rossiya-1 reported in July that production of this UAV line has increased more than 50 times since the outbreak of hostilities. Lancet hardware and software are also constantly upgraded, increasing their flight range and accuracy.

In an article about technological challenges on the battlefield published on November 1, Ukrainian military commander Valeri Zaluzhny mentioned the Lancet many times and emphasized that this is a weapon that is "very difficult to deal with".

Vu Anh (According to Zvezda, Militarnyi )

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