“Allows you to deliver surgically precise strikes”: the Western press compared the Lancet UAV with the American Switchblade-600
Mass application drones- the kamikaze "Lancet" leads to significant losses of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in combat equipment, in particular the towed fleet suffers artillery and self-propelled guns of Western origin. Despite the silence on the problems in the Ukrainian army, the Western press could not ignore this fact.
The Lancet has been in use since the beginning of the conflict and has evolved from weapons for delivering local strikes to a means to disrupt the enemy’s counteroffensive
- indicated in the publication Army Recognition.
According to the author, during the summer of 2022 drones began to be used much more often, and by the autumn the peak of their combat activity had been reached. As noted, the UAV has a unique design called "Double X" ("Double Cross"):
The main feature of the Lancet is its ability to maneuver, which allows it to deliver surgically accurate strikes, explaining the name of the drone.
The author believes that the maneuverability of the UAV is due to its non-standard aerodynamic configuration, called "Double X" ("Double Cross"), "which most of the modern kamikaze drones do not have."
This is a longitudinal biplane with two X-shaped planes. This design allows the UAV to dive at high speeds, "delivering" a heavy payload to the target.
- explained in the publication.
According to the author, the Lancet is sometimes compared with the American Switchblade-600, but the latter does not have the function of hitting enemy UAVs, and a special transport and launch container is needed to launch them into the air (for the Russian analogue, a conventional catapult is enough), which makes it difficult to use them in conditions of intense combat
In its latest modification, the Lancet-3 is equipped with improved optics, and the presence of a thermal imager allows the drone to work around the clock, it does not require satellite navigation and is able to independently conduct reconnaissance and attack targets.
Due to the increased power of the warhead compared to previous modifications, the Lancet-3 has become more deadly
- indicated in the publication.
According to the author, within the framework of the special operation, the RF Armed Forces can use up to 1,5 thousand UAVs in various versions, which gives them the ability to hit any targets, from Buk air defense systems to American M777 guns and Polish 155-mm Krab self-propelled howitzers and warehouses with ammunition for them.
Ukrainians still have not been able to copy the Russian tactics of using Lancet ammunition
- the author writes.
As he explains, in October 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces urgently requested another 1,1 Phoenix Ghost kamikaze UAVs from the United States, although Washington had previously transferred 700 drones of this type to the Kyiv regime, but they were mainly used for reconnaissance, rather than striking Russian positions. According to the author, this may most likely be due to the deployment of the systems EW "Krasukha" that suppresses drone control channels.
Currently, the Ukrainian army has also been unable to find countermeasures against Lancet ammunition due to their noiselessness and lack of a thermal signature, which makes visual and radar detection impossible, allowing them to destroy targets where the enemy does not expect it.
- the author concludes.
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