Russian sources confirmed that Moscow has tested an upgraded version of its ‘Lancet’ suicide drones in Syria, adding this weapon to the series of weapons that Russia is testing over Syrian territory.

Russian media quoted an informed Russian military source as saying that “in the framework of these tests, a new version of the Lancet-3 suicide plane was used several times by Russian military units against terrorist sites in Syria”. This is the term used by the Kremlin for all Russian targets in Syria, including schools and hospitals.

The same source claimed that "The most advanced version of this suicide drone has received improved aerodynamics, and now it has a large X-shaped wing and an X-shaped tail, rather than two symmetrical X-shaped wings, as before."
He added, "These new advances have increased the duration and range of its flight, and it's capable of carrying a warhead with greater power."

Commenting on this, researcher, Rasheed Hourani, an analyst specializing in political and military developments in Syria, told SY24, “The drones were used by the Russian army in Syria for reconnaissance purposes only. As for the current statement, it is propaganda and far from reality.”

Hourani said that the Russian propaganda “reflects the inability of the Russians to overcome the military-technological dilemma they found themselves facing in Syria, especially after Operation Spring Shield, which erupted at the beginning of 2020, in which Turkey used drones and inflicted heavy losses on the ranks of the regime, the Russians, and Iranian militias on the battlefronts in northwest Syria.”

"Therefore, this announcement is directed primarily at Turkey, which has supplied Ukraine with drones, which has become a dilemma for the Russians," he added.

Russia periodically boasts of its military forces and weapons, which are being ‘tested’ on Syrian soil.

The flight time of this new version of the suicide drone is 40 minutes, the maximum speed is 110 kilometers per hour, and the warhead it carries is 3 kilograms, according to Russian sources.

This suicide drone can fly in the intended target area for a long time during search mode, and when the target is detected, the drone will swoop on it like an air-to-ground guided missile, completely destroying itself.

And at the end of last year 2021, a Russian source stated, “A small oil refinery for Syrian militants was destroyed in Hama Governorate with the help of two munitions by the special operations forces of the Russian Armed Forces. It is assumed that Lancet drones were used."

The Russian media published a video clip showing a Russian drone targeting a field site in the Hama countryside, which the Russian Defense Ministry claimed was a site belonging to what it described as “terrorists.”

Published by SY24 on Saturday February 19, 2022
Original article (Arabic): https://www.sy-24.com/82528/news/%D8%B1%D9%88%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%AA%D...