Ukrainian drones ignite blaze at Russian pipeline, NASA confirms
Ukrainian drones attacked a section of the Druzhba pipeline in Russia, causing a fire visible even from space. This event was recorded by NASA satellites, as reported by the Ukrainian agency Unian. The attack was allegedly carried out using a completely new type of Ukrainian drone.
Ukrainian drones targeted the pumping station of the Druzhba pipeline near the Russian-Belarusian border in the Bryansk region. According to Forbes, the attack occurred overnight from Wednesday to Thursday Eastern Time. The strike resulted in a fire, confirmed by NASA satellite images.
New tactics of Ukrainian drones
For the past two years, Ukrainian armed forces have regularly targeted Russian oil facilities using kamikaze drones. This time, however, the drones not only struck the station but also dropped bombs, increasing the attack's effectiveness. Ukrainians have not disclosed which specific drone was used in the attack, but the information about bomb-dropping suggests that it may have been a small aircraft, such as the Aeroprakt A-22.
It's worth noting that the Ukrainian armed forces have recently adapted drones to carry 550-pound FAB-250 bombs. This enhancement in aviation capability is significant because such large bombs are dropped by reusable drones, marking a considerable improvement over single-use kamikaze drones.
Combat capabilities of drones
New drones, such as the Aeroprakt A-22, can carry explosive loads up to 220 pounds—though, as mentioned earlier, some designs have a payload capacity of up to 550 pounds. This increases their range in one-way missions to about 800 miles. The attack on the facility in the Bryansk region, located about 25 miles from the Ukrainian border, did not require the full range of their capabilities.
The Unian agency points out that one of the challenges remains safely retrieving the drones after a mission. Operators can use a double-strike tactic: first dropping bombs and then, if a return is impossible, directing the drones into the target. Generally, however, the Ukrainian arsenal includes designs that allow drones to drop bombs and then return to base.
The model of the drone used in the latest Ukrainian attack is unknown. Unian reports that it was likely a new design, making it difficult to determine its parameters and flight range. However, considering that the Bryansk region is close to the Ukrainian border, it can be assumed that this new design does not require long-range capabilities.
