New Russian UAV feature could cause nightmares for Ukraine

Russia continues to update the KUB-BLA UAV with new features, helping this weapon to attack Ukrainian targets more effectively.

Russia has continuously upgraded the KUB-BLA in recent times, and now this UAV has a coordinated attack feature, the Eurasian Times reported.

Russian contractor Rostec announced that the KUB-BLA is a multi-purpose drone, capable of immediately attacking a target or hovering over a designated point, waiting for the most opportune moment to swoop down. 

This hovering feature allows a group of UAVs to coordinate and attack simultaneously on command as a swarm in multiple directions. Whether flying at low or high altitudes, the KUB-BLA is capable of precision explosive strikes.

Rostec said the KUB-BLA warhead is made of explosives 1.5 times more powerful than TNT. This explosive, combined with high-density fragmentation, can effectively neutralize enemy defense systems.

According to the Eurasian Times, the KUB-BLA has proven very effective in attacking high-value Ukrainian targets, including air defense systems, radar stations, and even groups of soldiers.

Russia has deployed thousands of KUB-BLA UAVs to Ukraine over the past two years.

This UAV has a tailless design with the advantages of low cost and precise attack capabilities.

Equipped with an electric motor that drives a propeller, this drone is very light, weighing only about 15kg with a wingspan of about 120cm. This UAV line has a shape relatively similar to Geran (Ukraine suspects Iran’s Shahed), but has the outstanding advantage of being harder to detect.

Denis Fedutinov, editor-in-chief of the Russian magazine Drones, said that the KUB-BLA is relatively light, and because it is made of composite materials and uses an electric motor, it does not generate a lot of heat or make noise like the Geran. This feature makes it difficult for enemy air defenses, because the KUB-BLA’s thermal and acoustic signatures are low and its size is quite small. 

In addition, the drone can be launched discreetly using a mobile launcher, allowing it to attack flexibly in many different areas and ensuring the element of surprise when attacking.

KUB-BLA is programmed to automatically navigate using the SATNAV global satellite navigation system towards a target located at predetermined coordinates. The target coordinates can be updated to KUB-BLA in flight based on the reconnaissance UAV data provided.

The biggest drawback of this UAV is its relatively short flight time, only 30 minutes, so the KUB-BLA’s operating range is also relatively short. The amount of explosives this UAV carries is also low, about 3kg.

This UAV also lacks optical surveillance and targeting systems; it relies entirely on pre-programmed coordinates entered into the control system from reconnaissance information.

However, the low cost of this UAV has allowed Russia to produce them in large numbers, and thanks to the added swarm attack capability, the KUB-BLA would be suitable for carrying out an overwhelming attack on the enemy, relying on large numbers to cause havoc.

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