Russia posted a video of the Lancet suicide drone ambushing, causing the RM-70 Ukrainian rocket artillery complex to explode in the Donetsk region.
The Russian Defense Ministry on March 18 posted a video from an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), showing the moment the Ukrainian army’s RM-70 rocket artillery system was ambushed in the Avdiivka region of the Donetsk region.
In the video, the RM-70 Ukraine complex was discovered by a Russian reconnaissance drone in a hiding position among many trees. The Lancet suicide drone then locked onto its target, plunging between the launch pad and the ammunition storage compartment, creating an explosion and a large plume of smoke. Images from reconnaissance UAVs showed that the RM-70 system was completely destroyed, with almost no traces left.
Ukraine’s RM-70 system was destroyed by a Russian suicide drone in a video released on March 18. Video: Star.
The Ukrainian military has not commented on the information.
RM-70 is a howitzer developed by Czechoslovakia based on the Soviet Union’s BM-21 Grad complex, put into service in 1972. The system is mounted on a Tatra 8×8 car chassis, allowing the manufacturer to additionally installed a frame containing 40 spare 122 mm rounds, instead of using a separate ammunition truck.
The Czech Republic has delivered several RM-70 systems to Ukraine since the outbreak of hostilities.
Military Department of Ukraine. Graphics: WP.
The Lancet UAV series was launched by Russia in 2019, capable of operating independently, without support from ground or surface control systems. After detecting the target, Lancet can rush to destroy it with explosives carried in the body. Sensors on the Lancet will record the process of rushing to the target and transmit live images to the bridge to assess the effectiveness of the attack.
The original Lancet variant had a range of 40 km and carried a 3 kg warhead, while the upgraded Lancet had a superior range and was equipped with a more powerful 5 kg warhead.
The West and Ukraine assess that Russia can launch a large-scale offensive campaign to reverse the situation after suffering many setbacks. In addition to long-range missile attacks, Russia is intensifying its attack on Ukraine’s defenses in the Donbass region to break the stalemate on the battlefield.
Vu Anh (Theo Star, Reuters)