Ukrainian anti-aircraft forces shot down a Russian Orlan drone carrying two FPV (first-person view) drones under its wings.
It is the first time that the Ukrainian army has destroyed a so-called „mother drone” carrying other drones, announced the Mechanized Brigade 118 on Friday.
"Before this, the tracking platoon pilots had already shot down dozens of enemy reconnaissance drones - Orlan, Zala, and Supercam - but this was the first time they managed to destroy a mother drone," said the source cited by Kyiv Independent.
Orlan is a reconnaissance drone developed by Russia and widely used in Ukraine. A formidable weapon for Ukrainian soldiers, it is often used to adjust the precision of Russian artillery attacks. It can cover 600 kilometers and reach an altitude of up to 5,000 meters, the publication writes.
Ukraine had previously announced the downing of high-altitude Orlan drones.
Innovations in drone warfare are a key component of Ukraine's defense strategy against Russia. Kyiv is developing its own version of an unmanned aerial drone carrier in partnership with the German defense company Quantum Systems.
Named Sparta, this new drone is designed to carry two FPV drones with a combat radius of 200 kilometers.
T.D.