The Ukrainian Military Industry presented another novelty in the field of long-range UAVs. Engineers are gradually bringing the characteristics of drones closer to cruise missiles, which makes them formidable weapons. Focus learned how the drone will prove itself in battle.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine received a new drone missile called “Peklo”, tested in combat conditions. According to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, the new weapon was another development of the Ukrainian arms industry.
“Our, Ukrainian weapons, which already have confirmed combat use. Today, the first batch was handed over to our Defense Forces. Now the task — is to increase production and use”, — the president noted.
The Ukrainian manufacturer created a UAV from scratch in record time — during the year. The new type of weapon became the first in its class, added Herman Smetanin, Minister of Strategic Industries of Ukraine.
“Hell” is not only mass-produced, but is also constantly being improved: the level of its protection against electronic warfare is increasing, its operational characteristics and accuracy of destruction are improving. New types of warheads are being developed to expand the list of possible targets, the minister points out.
The “Hell” drone missile can fly at a speed of 700 kilometers per hour, the maximum range of hitting targets is over 700 kilometers. According to Interfax-Ukraine, it has been tested five times in combat conditions with successful hits on Russian targets. In terms of their effectiveness, Ukrainian drone missiles are not inferior to certain types of Russian cruise missiles, but they cost much less.
Other characteristics of the new drones are not reported. It is not known exactly how many devices the Ukrainian Armed Forces received. Judging by its appearance, “Hell” is a munition with a fixed wing and an external turbojet engine. The UAV is built according to the classic aerodynamic scheme: the wings are located in the middle part, and the movable rudders are in the tail.
Fuel bases and tactical aviation of the Russian Federation: where will the “Hell” drone fly
Military analysts have drawn attention to the fact that modern long-range strike drones are approaching cruise missiles in terms of characteristics. Ukrainian specialists may be the inventors of a new technology: a complex full-scale war forces us to look for non-standard approaches to conducting combat operations.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine had previously successfully used the old Soviet Tu-141 “Strizh” drones for long-range attacks. The modernization of the drone effectively turned the drone into a cheap analogue of a cruise missile, which could have prompted engineers to think about the need to create a powerful and accurate hybrid of a missile and a drone.
“Hell” became the second missile-drone in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. At the celebrations on the occasion of Independence Day 2024, Zelensky announced the successful use of the “Palyanytsia” missile-drone and stated that this was “a new method of retaliation against the aggressor.” “Palyanytsya” is launched from a ground platform at a distance of 600-700 kilometers.
About 20 Russian military airfields are in the range of two missile drones, including “Savasleyka” in the Nizhny Novgorod region. However, there is no point in hitting them with such weapons, says Focus leading researcher of the State Aviation Museum of Ukraine, aviation expert Valery Romanenko.
As a rule, airfields are large areas with a sparse distribution of objects. It is more realistic to get to the workshops of military-industrial complex enterprises or calculate the locations of tactical aviation, Su-27 and Su-34 aircraft. Each such aircraft costs from $30 million, but to defeat it, the drone will have to be equipped not with a GPS guidance system, but with a guidance station.
Romanenko is confident in the impossibility of fully integrating a missile and a UAV. A cruise missile has complex equipment that allows it to independently target itself at the final stage. At a distance of more than 120 kilometers, it is impossible to receive a radio control signal, especially in conditions of active air defense.
“If such complex equipment is put on a UAV, its price will be like that of a missile, and the warhead and target range are much smaller. The probability of being shot down due to the low speed is extremely high. I hope that Ukrainian drones will at least draw the Russian S-300, S-400 and Buk anti-aircraft missiles away from them,” he explains.
The expert notes that currently there are no clear positive results from the use of Ukrainian drones, the cost of which is quite high. For example, the price of the Palanytsia missile is less than $1 million, and to reduce production costs, the state has already turned to private business.
Hypothetical targets for the “Hell” drones could be fuel bases in Russia. In this case, it is necessary to calculate the cost of the stored fuel volumes so that the UAV does not cost more, Romanenko concluded.