A Russian jet has shot down the prototype of Moscow’s new combat drone, the Hunter S-70, possibly in a ‘friendly fire’ incident but more likely deliberately.
Videos circulated online on Saturday show a missile intercepting an unmanned aircraft mid-air before it plummets to earth, and a missile being fired from another aircraft.
Military experts have speculated from photos of the wreckage that the aircraft was a Russian Hunter S-70 drone and that it was likely shot down after operators lost control of it during a test flight over the occupied Donetsk Oblast in eastern Ukraine.
Justin Bronk, senior research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute think tank, said it would be “a stunningly embarrassing failure and one which also reveals they must have been conducting test flights near the front”.
Likely answer: Russians lost control of “Hunter” Sukhoi S-70 Okhotnik-B UCAV during test flight & order was given to shot it down. https://t.co/TIjvTSq1dQ
— Clash Report (@clashreport) October 5, 2024
Andriy Kovalenko, the head of Ukraine’s Centre for Countering Disinformation, originally identified the downed craft as an Su-34, but later said on Telegram it could have been a Hunter drone.
More would become clear, Mr Kovalenko said, after investigation of the wreckage.
The downing of such high-value hardware highlights coordination and communication failures within the Russian armed forces.
The S-70 is a new stealth unmanned combat aerial vehicle – part of Russian efforts to modernise its military capabilities.
It is very large, with a wingspan of 19 metres, and can be used for both reconnaissance and precision strikes.
Under development since 2009, the drone underwent state testing in 2023 and mass production was expected to begin this year.
Mr Kovalenko said that three S-70 drones have been manufactured so far, and three more are under development.
In June 2020, Russia’s Tass news agency reported that the drone was insured at the time for loss, disappearance or damage for over $18 million.
Debris from the incident fell somewhere near the city of Kostiantynivka, damaging several houses, local media reported. There were no injuries.
Russian channels are yet to confirm the downing.
Yurii Ihnat, a former spokesman for the Ukraine air force, also warned on Saturday of the threat posed by “unidentified” Russian drones.
Ukraine is not always able to identify the type of drones being used until they have been shot down, he added.
Moscow has stepped up attacks by unmanned aerial craft in recent weeks.
Cities and towns across Ukraine were targeted daily in September, with attacks following a similar pattern during the first week of October.
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