A KUB-BLA loitering munition, screen grab from footage released by the ZALA Aero Group.
The Russian military has used KUB-BLA loitering munitions to decimate a camp of foreign mercenaries fighting for Kiev forces in the Kherson region.
On July 22, a video documenting the attack on the camp, which is located in the settlement of Dobroye, was released. The video shows four KUB-BLA loitering munitions attacking posts, a gathering of mercenaries and a military vehicle with high-precision. The attack was coordinate with a drone.
The KUB-BLA was designed by the ZALA Aero Group, a s subsidiary of Russian defense giant Kalashnikov, to engage static targets. The loitering munition has an operational range of 40-60 kilometers, an endurance of 30 minutes and a speed of 80 to 130 kilometers per hour.
Typically, the KUB-BLA is armed with a HE-Frag [high explosive fragmentation] warhead that weights three kilograms. The warhead explodes over the target with the help of a proximity fuze, which maximizes the damage.
The Russian military has been using the KUB-BLA against Kiev forces since the beginning of its special operation in Ukraine.
The Lancet, a more advanced loitering munition that can engage moving targets, is also being used by the Russian military. This loitering munition, which was also developed by the ZALA Aero Group, is equipped with an electro-optical system that allows it to detect, track and lock on its target. It has an operational range of 40 kilometers, an endurance of up to 40 minutes and a speed of 80 to 110 kilometers per hour. It is also armed with a three-kilogram warhead.
Using the KUB-BLA and the Lancet, the Russian military canto engage high-value targets behind the line of sight with high precision on a short notice. The small radar cross-section and minimal infrared signature of these loitering munitions make them hard to detect and intercept.
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