It has been almost a week since the Ukrainian armed forces began their long-awaited counteroffensive, and Russia’s air superiority is significantly slowing the advance. Although Russia’s Ka-52 Alligator attack helicopter is being credited with helping maintain Russia’s air superiority, Russia’s Lancet drones are also proving effective at destroying NATO vehicles.
According to most military analysts, the Ukrainian attack has three main directions: north and northwest of the city of Bakhmut, which the Russians fought for months to gain control of, along with the Donetsk and Zaporizhia regions.
Ukrainian forces have recaptured several smaller settlements, but the media and social media sites are not making much noise about this slow progress. Instead, the spotlight is much more focused on the Western tanks, combat vehicles and other military equipment that the Russians have destroyed.
One video compilation that already has 1.4 million views on Twitter shows the effectiveness of Russia’s Lancet kamikaze drone. In the video, there are numerous shots of the Russians destroying artillery, command centers, and air defense vehicles, with the narrator claiming the Lancet has proven to be one of the most effective weapons in the Russian arsenal.
However, as Remix News has already reported, the Lancet has long played a role in the war in Ukraine, with Russia ramping up production of the drone to meet the demands of its soldiers on the battlefield.
The drones weigh 15 kilograms (33 pounds) and feature a 5-kilogram (10-pound) armor-piercing
explosive head. They can fly up to 190 miles per hour, and although not always effective at piercing all armored vehicles, they have been recorded destroying Soviet-era tanks. In one shot, they hit a Leopard 2 tank, which begins smoking but appears to not be completely destroyed in the shot.
