File image.
The Russian military has destroyed an American-made M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launcher of Kiev forces using FPV suicide drones for the first time.
The HIMARS and a vehicle escorting it were both targeted close to the settlement of Dovha Balka, some ten kilometers behind the frontline in the direction of Donetsk. It’s unclear when exactly the attack took place, but video footage surfaced online on May 6.
Russian-made BT-40 drones were reportedly used. This type of FPV quadcopters has a range of up to 12 kilometers and can be armed with a warhead weighing 2,5 kg.
The first drone to hit the launcher was equipped with a thermal imaging device, which is not common. This could mean that the attack was a part of a well-planned ambush.
This was the third HIMARS to be targeted by the Russian military in less than a week. A video posted to social networks on May 4 showed a missile strike on a warehouse near the settlement of Chereshenki in the Kherson direction where two launchers were hidden. Both were reportedly destroyed.
Since the start of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, the United States has supplied Kiev forces with at least 39 HIMARS launchers. Last year, Germany promised to buy three more for Kiev forces.
These launchers are typically armed with M30/M31 series GMLRS GPS-guided rockets, which have a range of more than 70 kilometers, or MGM-140 ATACMS tactical ballistic missiles with a range between 165 and 300 kilometers depending on the version.
Most of the HIMARS launchers supplied to Ukraine have already been destroyed or damaged by the Russian military. Air defenses and electronic warfare neutralized the effectiveness of the remaining launchers.
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