Lancet-3, screen grab from Russia-24 report.
Russian forces had used a deeply modernized version of the ZALA Aero Group’s Lancet-3 loitering munition against terrorists in Syria, RIA Novosti reported on February 18 citing a Russian military-diplomatic source.
According to the source, the aerodynamic features of the loitering munition were improved by adopting longer X-shaped wings.
“The new version [of the Lancet-3] has a longer flight duration and range and can carry a more powerful warhead,” the unnamed source said.
The original version of the Lancet-3, which was presented in 2019, had a range of 40 kilometers and an endurance of 40 minutes.
RIA Novosti source was likely referring to two recent loitering munition strikes on terrorists in the northwestern Syrian region of Greater Idlib. The strikes, which took place on February 11 and 14, targeted positions of al-Qaeda-affiliated Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham near the town of Kafr Nouran.
Last December, Russia-24 TV aired a report documenting strikes with Lancet loitering munitions on terrorists positions in Greater Idlib.
Loitering munitions, like the Lancet-3, allow Russian forces to detect and engage targets located behind the line of sight with high precision on a short notice.
