Ukrainian artillery wipes out Russian drone crew

Ukrainian artillery has reportedly wiped out Russian drone crews that launch and operate an unmanned aircraft system.

The Ukrainian media outlet Militarnyi has reported that the Ukrainian military blew up a Russian Supercam S350 drone crew in the Zaporizhzhya region.

According to the report, an American-made M142 HIMARS rocket launcher was used to destroy the drone operators.

The rocket artillery struck just as the Russian drone was being turned down near the vehicle.

The Supercam S350 is a reconnaissance, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developed by the Unmanned Systems Group. The spy drone is in service with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.

It is intended for a variety of missions including aerial reconnaissance, observation, monitoring, search and rescue, combat training and target tracking in hard-to-reach terrains.

As noted by the Unmanned Systems Group, the Supercam S350 drone can transmit telemetry data to a range between 50km and 100km from the launch station and endure for approximately 4.5 hours.  The flight speed can be in the range from 65 to 120 kilometers per hour, depending on the tactical need.