Modified Aeroprakt A-22 used in Chechnya attack
A long-range drone, possibly based on Ukraine's Aeroprakt A-22 sports aircraft, was likely used in the Dec. 15 strike on a Chechen OMON base in Grozny, according to a report by Forbes on Dec. 15.
The publication noted that this was another instance of the Aeroprakt A-22 being repurposed into a one-way attack drone by Ukrainian intelligence since the beginning of the year.
The modified drone can travel up to 1,300 kilometers, equipped with an additional fuel tank, remote guidance systems, and explosive payloads. Earlier this year, similar drones were used to target a drone factory, a missile research center, and a naval base housing military ships.
Eyewitness footage from Grozny captured during the Dec. 15 raid revealed "new details about the improvised strike drone," according to Forbes.
The drone reportedly had opaque covers where the A-22's cockpit windows are usually transparent. The footage also showed traces of paint where a registration number might have been located on the tail, suggesting the number had been obscured. This could imply that Ukrainian intelligence acquires used A-22 planes for its drone program rather than sourcing all airframes directly from the Aeroprakt plant in Kyiv.
The strike caused a fiery explosion but lacked the shrapnel wave typical of purpose-built long-range munitions, such as Britain's Storm Shadow cruise missile.
On Dec. 15, Grozny experienced a series of explosions, reportedly the result of drone strikes. Just days earlier, on Dec. 12, Kremlin-backed Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov reported a drone attack over barracks belonging to the Akhmat Kadyrov special police regiment, resulting in minor injuries to four guards.
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