A mysterious russian drone downed in Ukraine raises new concerns
The Russian Federation Army regularly shells Ukraine using kamikaze drones. However, in one of the latest attacks, the aggressor employed a mysterious weapon not previously encountered in the war in Ukraine.
During the attack on 20 July, the Ukrainian armed forces shot down 13 out of 16 Shaheds, according to a report by the Ukrainian Air Force Command. Additionally, mobile fire groups managed to fend off an attack by an unidentified drone. After examining the downed drone, Ukrainians determined that it was an unmanned aerial vehicle previously unseen in combat.
Mysterious Russian weapon
The Russian kamikaze drone was reported to be flying at a very low altitude, around 20-30 metres. Moreover, although it has some features of other weapons in the Russian arsenal, its construction is different from weaponry previously identified by Ukrainians. For this reason, in official reports, the defenders describe the mysterious drone launched towards Ukraine by the Russians as an "unknown type" aircraft.
According to the Defense Express portal, the unidentified aircraft visually significantly differs from the popular Shahed-136 drones, which were also used in Saturday's attack. What is also important is that the mysterious weapon was flying at an unusually low altitude—at most 30 metres—indicating that the unknown construction to Ukrainians is a kamikaze drone.
This is an important finding, especially in light of its similarity to the Zala 421-20 aircraft. This tool is intended for reconnaissance from a higher altitude, so it typically does not fly at such low altitudes. Although photos obtained by Defense Express journalists suggest the mysterious UAV is similar to the 421-20, it still has many differences, indicating the Russians used completely different and previously unknown equipment in Ukraine.
According to sources cited by the mentioned portal, the unidentified aircraft reportedly has a wingspan exceeding 4 metres. The fuselage profile, on the other hand, is square. At the same time, no technical parameters of the mysterious equipment are known. It is unknown what range it reaches, what speed it develops, and how much payload it can carry.
A drone the likes of which Ukrainians have not seen before
Defense Express emphasises that Ukrainians are already investigating the downed UAV. Such objects are a valuable source of information for them – they allow them to determine how significant the threat from the use of unknown enemy weapons may be. Additionally, they are significant in developing tools that enable effective combat.
