Ukraine says its Vampire bomber drones are becoming such a nightmare for Russia that they’ve earned a menacing nickname among its troops.
The fast, hard-to-detect drone has apparently earned a reputation during its nighttime raids, with Russian forces calling it “Baba Yaga,” an evil witch from Slavic folklore. Ukraine says the capabilities of the bomber drone allow them to fly close to Russian tanks and armor at night before hitting them with major explosives.
On Tuesday, the defense ministry of Ukraine shared a video of the Vampire drone from United24, a Ukrainian government-run crowdfunding and digital-media site, calling the unmanned aerial vehicle “the Russian’s nightmare.”
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/rKy5Dh-EKfQ?feature=shareThe short video focuses on a specific drone unit, Unit Code 9.2, outside Bakhmut, explaining that the operators use DJI Mavic drones — small UAVs that Ukraine has been using in combat, sometimes crudely attaching explosives to them — during the day.
But at night, it’s time for the Vampires to fly,” the video says.
These UAVs can fly fast — usually about 23 meters a second — and carry hefty explosive payloads to enemy targets.
“With a capacity of carrying up to 15kg and a flight distance of up to 10km, this drone has become a true nightmare for the Russians,” the video narration says.
Part of the appeal of the Vampire, Ukraine says, is its thermal imaging, which allows operators to identify and target enemies at nighttime. Some other UAVs also have thermal-imaging capabilities, but the ability to fly during both day and night with a heavy explosive payload makes the Vampire a valuable asset.
The Vampire drones, which are domestically produced, have been used to drop various types of munitions on Russian enemies, most often targeting tanks. They also wrecked a Russian warehouse near Bakhmut back in August and have proven effective at avoiding Russian jamming, which has become so prevalent on the front lines.
Back in August, Mykhailo Fedorov, the vice prime minister of Ukraine for innovation, education, science, and technology, posted a video showing off a room full of Vampire drones. He said 270 of the UAVs would be headed to the front lines “to back up our Ukrainian soldiers during the counteroffensive.”
Fedorov had previously shared footage in June of what he said was a Vampire drone delivering humanitarian aid to people on the Russian-occupied southern bank of the Dnipro River.
Photo: Ukraine enlisted the help of the 23-year-old influencer Igor Lachenkov to produce the new long-range “Beaver” drone.
Source: Business Insider