RuAviation

The US M1A1 Abrams tank, which was destroyed near Avdeevka on 26 February, was hit not by a Lancet barrage munition, as previously reported on the Russian Aviation website, but by the Piranha FPV drone. This was reported on 28 February in the Vesti programme of the Rossiya 1 TV channel.

This information was confirmed to TASS by a representative of the Simbirsk Design Bureau (SKB) Piranha, where this kamikaze drone is developed and produced. According to him, the information was received from the customer, who provided correspondence with the battalion commander of the calculation that hit the tank. “There and told that it was our Piranha. And then already the information appeared in the news and Telegram channels with shots of burning Abrams,” said the interlocutor of the agency.

FPV-drone Piranha is the flagship modification of SKB, it was created taking into account the experience of special operations in Ukraine. The drone operates on atypical frequencies, which allows it to overcome the means of electronic warfare of the enemy. The radius of action with the maximum combat load reaches 10 km, and the warhead itself is capable of penetrating the dynamic protection of armoured vehicles.

“First of all, this device uses unique frequencies, it uses its own video transmitter, which is able to work even in conditions of strong influence of electronic warfare. It also uses a very effective propeller group, which allows to deliver a heavy load at extreme speed directly to the target,” the SKB representative told the Vestey broadcast

He added that after testing in combat conditions, the Russian Defence Ministry acknowledged the innovativeness of the Piranha video transmitters. “The technologies of this drone have been accepted with a positive assessment and show a high degree of protection against electronic countermeasures,” the representative of the Simbirsk Design Bureau said.