American HIMARS systems inflict powerful strikes on the Russian army in Ukrainian territory. Recently, this weapon punched holes in the Antonovsky bridge in Kherson. Flexible wheelbase mounts can fire and leave the firing position before the enemy fires back at them.

But now Russia wants to destroy Ukrainian HIMARS with kamikaze drones, Forbes writes..

“Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu recently stated that the Russian goal is to destroy Ukrainian long-range rocket artillery.. This suggests that Russia either needs warping munitions, or it will soon send them to the battlefield, ”said Samuel Bendett, an analyst at the CNA center and an expert on Russian drones..

In the first months of the war, Russian kamikaze drones made only a few hits.. But now they show up on the front lines daily. Such a weapon is capable of providing capabilities that Russia really needs now, namely, to find and destroy mobile targets like HIMARS at a great distance.. The operator can control such a drone, looking for a target and not knowing its coordinates in advance. Most often, the Russian army uses Kub-PLA. It is a small aircraft with a wingspan of just over a meter, an electric motor and the ability to carry a three-kilogram warhead..

Forbes writes that the Russian military has become more likely to publish videos of strikes carried out using Kub-PLA filmed by other drones.. As with the Switchblade, these Russian drone attacks are not very impressive.. Unless they provoke a secondary explosion of ammunition or fuel of the victim. So there is a widespread belief that Cub-PLAs are ineffective. In fact, it's hard to judge. In any case, it does not seem that these drones greatly frightened the Ukrainian military, in contrast to the " The latter has a motor sound as loud as that of a moped. And if the military hears it, then an enemy artillery or missile strike is inevitable..

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Since July 15, videos of the use of Lancet-3 drones by the Russian army have also appeared.. As in the case of Kub-PLA, the company Zala, owned by the Kalashnikov concern, is engaged in its production.. " Maybe it's even the same bomb. But this drone has a more modern design and has been tested in Syria.. In addition, the Lancet-3 has autonomous capabilities. Expert Gregory Allen from the CSIS center notes that the ability of the Cube-PLA to independently search for a target is exaggerated.. But in the case of the Lancet-3, there is no exaggeration. The drone can be under the control of the operator, can independently strike at given coordinates or perform an autonomous flight over a certain region in search of a target on its own without human intervention. This makes it a suitable tool for destroying HIMARS after the launcher has fired.. But Russia doesn't have enough of these machines, says Bendett..

Russia has not officially announced the number of purchased drones. But unlike the ubiquitous Orlans-10, kamikaze drones do not seem to be in the country's arsenal..

“The Ministry of Defense has expressed a desire to get such opportunities. And I'm sure the Kalashnikov plant is working overtime right now.. But Russia needs hundreds of such drones in the sky for it to affect Ukrainian forces,” the expert explained..

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Another drone that Russia could use is the Lastochka-M.. In fact, this is an analogue of the Ukrainian Punisher drone. It is small and armed with two projectiles the size of a hand grenade.. In 2021, this drone participated in the Russian military exercises " The non-governmental organization Conflict Armament Research recorded that this week Ukrainian troops shot down Lastochka-M for the first time.. So there will be more details about the capabilities of this drone in the near future.. However, it is believed that he is able to stay in the sky for several hours.. And the shells on board are enough to destroy the unarmored wheelbase of HIMARS.

“I was thinking about when Lastochka-M will debut in Ukraine.

I guess there just aren't that many,"

Russia would like to buy drones from China to make up for the shortage of its own vehicles. So far, however, there is no sign that Beijing has agreed to this.. It is quite possible that this is why Russia has recently tried to negotiate the sale of drones with Iran.. So far, Moscow simply does not have enough kamikaze vehicles to hunt HIMARS. However, both Ukraine and Russia should be expected to use more of these drones in the coming months..