Source: mk.ru
The Russian military has reportedly begun to use Orion combat drones to launch strikes against Kiev forces in the direction of Kursk.
Video footage posted to social networks on September 8 showed a recent strike by an Orion against a Ukrainian Soviet-made T-64 main battle tank in an unspecified part of Kursk. The drone fired an X-BPLA missile at the tank, completely destroying it.
The X-BPLA is the air-launched version of the Kornet-D anti-tank missile with semi-active laser guidance instead of a laser beam-riding system. The missile has a maximum engagement range of eight kilometers and is armed with a six kilogram high explosive fragmentation warhead.
Kiev forces launched a surprise attack into the Russian region of Kursk on August 6. Orion drones were spotted in action there just a few weeks after the start of the attack. Video footage released before the end of the month showed one such drone directing a missile strike on a large Ukrainian gathering near the settlement of Aleshenka.
The Orion was developed by Russia’s Kronstadt Group to conduct both reconnaissance and combat missions. It has an endurance of 24 hours and a combat radius of 250 kilometers. The drone is typically equipped with an optical targeting system. However, it can also carry a radar or an electronic and signal intelligence gathering system.
Besides the X-BPLA missile, the Orion can be armed with a wide range of precision-guided munitions from the Kab-20 and Kab-50 series.
The Russian military has been using Orion and several other types of combat drones against Kiev forces since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine more than two years ago. Details about the operations of these drones are rarely declassified.
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