New Russian Kamikaze Drone Identified in Ukraine

Ukraine has identified a new type of Russian one-way attack drone following a series of strikes on the city of Sumy, a region near the front lines. The discovery was made through images of wreckage published by Serhiy Beskrestnov, a Ukrainian radio technology expert known as Serhiy Flash. He confirmed that the drone represents a previously undocumented design in Russia’s growing arsenal of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).

A New Addition to Russia’s Drone Arsenal

“This is a new type of strike UAV made in the Russian Federation. It has already attacked Sumy several times,” Beskrestnov stated. “It is serially produced, technologically advanced, and well-built.”

Photographs of the wreckage reveal a drone featuring a pusher-type propulsion system, where the propeller is mounted at the rear. The airframe is constructed using lightweight composite materials, likely reinforced with carbon fiber elements. This aligns with recent trends in Russia’s loitering munitions, which are designed for short-range, high-damage precision strikes.

Key Specifications and Features

• Configuration: Pusher-type drone with a rear-mounted propeller.

• Material Composition: Composite plastics with carbon reinforcement for lightweight durability.

• Size: Compact for single-use kamikaze missions.

• Payload: Likely equipped with an onboard explosive warhead for targeted strikes.

• Markings: Visible production code “VZU 1.1538” suggests prototype or limited-run manufacturing.

• Purpose: Designed for one-way attack missions targeting enemy infrastructure, military positions, and urban centers.

Russia’s Expanding Use of Domestic Drones

The emergence of this new drone highlights Russia’s growing reliance on domestically developed UAVs. In recent months, Russian forces have ramped up their use of low-cost, expendable drones to supplement imported models such as the Iranian-made Shahed-136. These drones are deployed to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and execute precision strikes on key locations near the battlefield.

Although Ukrainian officials have yet to make an official statement on this UAV’s discovery, open-source intelligence analysts suggest it is part of a broader trend in Russia’s defense industry. Moscow is increasingly fielding high-frequency strike drones, leveraging its internal manufacturing capabilities to sustain continued offensive operations.

The identification of this new kamikaze drone serves as another reminder of the evolving nature of modern warfare, where low-cost, high-impact drones are playing an ever-growing role on the battlefield.