Ukraine uses long-range attack UAVs to attack multiple targets in Crimea
Ukraine released a clip showing the upgraded UJ-26 Bober UAV attacking many Russian air defense systems and an aircraft in occupied Crimea.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•07/07/2025
According to Oleksandr Yan, a journalist for the defense news agency Militarnyi, Ukraine's military intelligence agency has begun using an improved version of the domestically produced UJ-26 Bober (aka Beaver) drone to attack targets deep inside Russian-controlled territory. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MO UCKN. Oleksandr Yan said that the UJ-26 Bober long-range unmanned aerial vehicle with an enhanced version has been officially deployed to the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service (GUR). Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MOUсти.
This upgraded UJ-26 Bober UAV includes a thermal imaging camera, a new, yet-unknown integrated communications system, which allows the transmission of video footage up to the moment of target impact with high-quality data in real time sent to the remote operator. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MO UCKNи. According to Oleksandr Yan, this real-time video recording and transmission capability could be powered by an integrated satellite communications terminal on the upgraded UJ-26 Bober UAV. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MO UCKNи. The clip released by the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Service (GUR) shows high-resolution thermal imagery provided by an upgraded UJ-26 Bober UAV, involving a precision strike on the Russian Saky airbase in occupied Crimea, which was directly controlled and carried out by the GUR's special unit “Prymary”. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MOU Ukraine.
The released clip shows attacks by upgraded UJ-26 Bober UAVs directly on a number of high-value targets including Pantsir-S1 air defense systems, Nioby-SV radar systems, Pechora-3 coastal radar stations, Protivnik-GE air surveillance radars and Russian Navy Su-30 fighters. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MOUраїни. In fact, the Saky air base is the hub for Russian air operations in southern Ukraine and the Black Sea region, so this attack caused the loss of radar and fighter coverage, which could reduce the early warning and air defense capabilities of the Russian military in the region. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MOО України. This UJ-26 Bober drone has an operating range of 600 to 1,000 km, a speed of 200 km/h, and carries a warhead weighing about 20 kg. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MO UCKN.
Footage also shows the upgraded UJ-26 Bober drone being launched using a catapult instead of from a runway. Photo: @Golovsky radio station MO Ukrain. While this launch method requires larger fixed launchers and complicates rapid large-scale deployment, it also eliminates the need for landing gear on the UJ-26 Bober UAV. This change also improves the drone's aerodynamics and extends its range. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MOО України.
However, catapult launch may limit the ability to conduct mass attacks, as each upgraded UJ-26 Bober drone must be manually assembled and launched in sequence. Photo: @Головне управління Ѐозвідки MO UCKN.
Báo Khoa học và Đời sống•07/07/2025
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