Russian arms maker reports kamikaze drone milestone
Russian arms maker Kalashnikov has announced a new addition to its KUB loitering munition family, describing it as the first Russian weapon of its class with a range exceeding 100 km.
Large fixed-wing drones can have ranges over 1,000 km. The KUB-10ME, developed by Kalashnikov’s drone subsidiary, is a tactical-level weapon designed to strike unarmored and lightly armored targets near the front line.
Kalashnikov currently produces three KUB loitering munitions with ranges between 25 and 90 km. The new model revealed on Wednesday is comparable to Israel’s Elbit SkyStriker and Germany’s Rheinmetall FV-014, guided weapons filling the same military niche.
The manufacturer said the KUB-10ME features an improved electro-optical guidance system and enhanced protection against electronic warfare. It was developed “in record-short time” based on experience with loitering munitions in the Ukraine conflict, Kalashnikov said.
Hostilities between Russia and Ukraine have accelerated drone development, particularly of cheap, short-range quadcopters now ubiquitous on the battlefield. With mass deployment a priority, affordability has become a key goal for manufacturers, shifting from the earlier view of drones as expensive, high-tech tools for advanced militaries.
