New Russian Drone to take on Ukrainian Armored Vehicles

Russia has developed a new kamikaze drone, ‘Italmas,’ to take on Ukrainian armored vehicles against which its current suicide drone, ‘Lancet’ was ineffective.

As reported by Russia's state-owned Rossiya 1 TV channel, Aeroscan, has unveiled its creation - the Italmas kamikaze UAV, officially designated as Product 54. This drone can engage targets at distances well in excess of 200 kilometers. It utilizes an internal combustion engine (ICE), a departure from the electric-powered Lancets. This engine gives it the ability to operate over greater ranges and accommodate a substantially more formidable warhead. Effectively, its wings serve as a reservoir, enabling extended mission endurance.

Notably, the Italmas exhibits a certain semblance to the Iranian Shahed loitering munition, which has found widespread use in the ongoing Ukraine War.

In the immediate future, the deployment of Italmas is poised to empower units within the Russian Armed Forces, allowing for substantial augmentation of their artillery-neutralization capabilities, encompassing both cannon and rocket-based systems. Furthermore, the inclusion of a cumulative warhead in its arsenal positions this UAV as a pivotal asset in countering heavily armored vehicles within the Ukrainian Armed Forces—a task for which the existing Lancets have frequently proven inadequate.

In a parallel development, Russia has introduced "Product 53," characterized by its innovative folding wings, meticulously designed to facilitate seamless compatibility with transport and launch containers (TPC).