MOSCOW REGION, RUSSIA – JUNE 25, 2019: A ZALA Lancet-3 attack drone developed by Kalashnikov Concern on display at the Army 2019 International Military Technical Forum at Patriot Park. Marina Lystseva/TASS
The Russian military continues to target the military equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on Kherson front with Lancet loitering munitions.
On November 25, Russian sources published a video documenting two recent Lancet strikes on the front. The first strike targeted what appears to be a communication station, while the second hit a Soviet-made D-20 152 mm gun-howitzer. The two strikes were carried out by the 76th Guards Air Assault Division of the Russian Airborne Troops.
The Lancet loitering munition was developed by the ZALA Aero Group, a subsidiary of Russia’s defense giant Kalashnikov Concern.
Two versions of the loitering munition are available, the Izdeliye-51 and Izdeliye-52. Both versions are equipped with an elector-optical system to detect, track and lock on static and moving targets.
The Izdeliye-52 is the base version of the Lancet with an endurance of 40 minutes and a three-kilogram warhead, while the Izdeliye-51 is an improved version that features a more aerodynamic design with extended X-shaped wings. This version has an endurance of an hour and is armed with a warhead weighting five kilograms.
In the last few months, the Russian military expanded the use of the Lancet and other types of loitering munitions, like the ZALA Aero Group’s KUB-BLA and the Geranium-1 and 2 which are thought to be copies of Iran’s Shahed-131 and 136, in the framework of the ongoing the special operation in Ukraine. As a result, the AFU sustained some heavy human and material losses.
Even after receiving several air defense and electronic warfare systems from the United States and other NATO states, Ukraine is still struggling to counter the threat of Russian loitering munitions.
