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 destroyed or damaged 36 vehicles of Kiev forces in the special military operation zone between February 16 and 23 using Lancet loitering munition.
The Ukrainian losses, all documented by video, were: 12 tanks, including one German-made Leopard 2A4; Five infantry fighting vehicles, including two German-made Marder; Six armored personnel carriers and high-mobility vehicles, including an American-made M113; Ten towed and self-propelled howitzers, including four American-made M777 and one Italian-British FH70; Two electronic warfare stations; One drone control and command system and one Soviet-made Strela-10 short-range air defense system.
The Lancet was developed by the ZALA Aero Group, a subsidiary of Russia’s defense giant Kalashnikov Concern. The company produces two versions of the loitering munition, the Izdeliye-52 with an endurance of 30 minutes and a one-kilogram warhead and the larger Izdeliye-51 that has an endurance of 40 minutes and is armed with a warhead weighting three kilograms.
The loitering munition flies towards the designated area with a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system. After arriving in the area, the operator utilizes an onboard electro-optical system via a two-way data-link to detect, track and lock on the target. A laser-ranging system then controls the detonation of the warhead.
The small radar cross-section and minimal infrared signature of the electric-powered loitering munition makes it very difficult to detect and intercept.
According to Lostarmour.info, a website that tracks and documents military losses, 99 Lancet strikes have been documented since the start of February.
Ukrainian attempts to stop Lancet loitering munitions with air defense fire, electronic warfare or countermeasures have been mostly unsuccessful.
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