Ukrainian UAV Records Its Last Seconds Of Life As It Is Hit By Russian Missile

The video, launched by the Ukrainian 45 th Separate Artillery Brigade, reveals the downing of the UAV after it finished its weapons identifying objective.

Since the start of the Russian intrusion in Ukraine, social networks are flooded with videos of tanks, armored cars, helicopters being assaulted and/or ruined, however constantly from a 3rd individual perspective. Now, for the very first time, we have a first-person viewpoint of an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle being shot down by a surface area to air rocket.

The engagement becomes part of video launched by the 45 th Separate Artillery Brigade of the Ukrainian Army and illustrating the weapons attack versus Russian positions near Polohy, in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The video, published on the system’s Facebook page on June 4, 2022, reveals the undefined UAV flying over an oil plant, where a variety of Russian cars were found, and collaborating weapons fire.

Clip of the Ukrainian UAV getting shot down by Russian air defenses. 2/ pic.twitter.com/jwyyF41 UL1

— Rob Lee (@RALee85) June 4, 2022

After the rounds affected their targets, while the UAV was flying over an open field, a plume of white smoke rapidly left the ground. The rocket can be seen turning and fixing its trajectory as it houses on the UAV up until it accomplished a direct hit, which triggered the video feed to cut off. Regardless of losing the UAV, the weapons barrage was thought about to be effective and a 2nd drone, which was likewise loitering over the target, revealed fires and smoke in the depot.

The reality that no systems were plainly noticeable outdoors field, a MANPADS (Man Portable Air Defense Systems) might appear the origin of the rocket, however that is not likely as it InfraRed sensing unit would have problem locking a little electrically-powered UAV with an extremely little IR signature. The video plainly reveals the rocket being introduced vertically, prior to deviating its trajectory and pointing towards the target.

The most apparent hypothesis would then be a Tor-M1/ M2 self-propelled surface area to air rocket system, likewise called the SA-15 “Gauntlet”. The Russian forces are relying greatly on this system to safeguard high worth properties, even installing it on the flight deck of warships after the sinking of the directed rocket cruiser Moskva, the flagship of the Russian Navy Black Sea Fleet.

Originally created in the Soviet Union for ruining aircrafts, helicopters, cruise rockets and short-range ballistic risks, the Tor system is stated to be reliable likewise versus UAVs, nevertheless it did not have much luck up until now, with numerous launchers ruined by Ukrainian Bayraktar TB-2s. This video is an uncommon exception captured on tape.

The kind of UAV utilized in the video was not revealed, nevertheless the 45 th Separate Artillery Brigade published on Facebook on May 22 a video were the recently-delivered Spectator-M1 UAV was utilized for the very first time to identify targets for the system’s 2S7 Pion self-propelled 203 mm heavy howitzers. By coincidence, the target location utilized for this “fight test drive”, as it was specified in the video, is the exact same oil depot of the video published on June 4, tape-recorded at the very same elevation and with the very same image quality.

We can therefore securely presume that the UAV collaborating the weapons strike in the video from June 4 and later on shot down was a Spectator-M1. The time of the recording was not divulged however, if our presumption is right, it might have been taped throughout the 2 weeks in between May 22 and June 4, depending upon how old was the very first video when it was launched, or perhaps a couple of days apart.

The Spectator is and native UAV, established by the Ukrainian business VAT S.P.Korolev Meridian JSC, is a little fixed-wing airplane which weighs simply over 5 kg and went into service in2019 Created for the usage by unique forces who had a requirement for a compact, man-portable ability for tactical air reconnaissance and aerial battleground security, the Spectator is moved by a low acoustic signature electrical motor with a two-bladed prop that lowers the threat of detection.

The UAV can utilize various payloads, consisting of a digital color 10 x optical zoom daytime electronic camera and a thermal imaging IR video camera, which send their video feed to the ground station by means of information link. The Spectator-M1 is stated to have actually been established to comply with NATO’s requirements with unique focus put on anti-jamming ability, protected interaction links and digital file encryption of signals.

That being stated, the video of the Spectator-M1 being shot down reminds mind a comparable episode from 2008, when a Georgian UAV tape-recorded from its perspective how it was shot down by an air-to-air rocket. The unarmed Georgian UAV was performing a security above the breakaway Georgian area of Abkhazia on Apr. 20, 2008, when it was approached by a Mig-29 and struck by an air-to-air rocket chance at brief range.