Omega Struck Russian Su-24M With Hornet One Way Drone From Distance of More Than 185 Kilometers

Special forces from the National Guard of Ukraine’s Special Operations Center ‘Omega’ struck a Russian Su-24M bomber at the Saki military airfield with a Hornet drone, more than 185 kilometers from the front line.

A video of the strike was published by Oleksandr Pivnenko, commander of the National Guard of Ukraine.

It was reported that the first UAV struck the nose of the aircraft, while the second delivered a follow-up strike to the fuel tank area, ultimately destroying it.

The aircraft likely belonged to the 43rd Independent Naval Assault Aviation Regiment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which was based at the Saki airfield in Crimea. The Russian Navy flag can be seen painted near the engine air intake on the Su-24.

At the same time, the video shows that the aircraft is missing several panels of skin on the upper part of the fuselage, and the cockpit canopy is lying on the ground.

This may indicate that the aircraft was no longer airworthy after being damaged during one of the previous Ukrainian attacks, and that the Russians were using it as a mock-up and a source of spare parts.

What is remarkable about this strike is that the distance from the Saki airfield in the temporarily occupied Crimea to the nearest point of territory controlled by Ukraine is over 185 kilometers.

Given that the drone was likely launched not directly from the front lines and had to perform maneuvers during flight, the actual flight range was even greater.

Judging by the distinctive interface shown in the video, American Hornet kamikaze drones were used in the strikes.

It was previously reported that these drones were deployed 160 kilometers from the front lines during strikes by the 1st Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard ‘Azov’ against Russian military logistics in the temporarily occupied city of Mariupol and its surroundings.

Hornet kamikaze drone

It is known that the Hornet was developed and is manufactured by the American company Perennial Autonomy, already known for its successful Merops interceptor drones. The company is owned by Eric Schmidt, the former CEO of Google.

Drones have been in use in Ukraine since the spring of 2025, and they are already in service with a large number of units. In May 2026, U.S. Army personnel also began training on these UAVs.

According to Russian military sources analyzing debris from the attacks, the UAV itself serves as a test ‘prototype’ used in combat conditions to continuously evaluate technical and tactical solutions, as well as the response of Russian military personnel and countermeasures to the attacks. As operational experience is gained, changes are promptly incorporated into the design.

According to Julian Röpcke, a military analyst for the German newspaper Bild, the cost of a single Hornet drone is less than €5,000.

The Hornet’s takeoff weight is about 15 kg, its wingspan is 2.2 m, and its fuselage length is 1.4 m. The drone’s weight without a warhead and battery is about 5 kg, and its maximum payload is 5 kg.

More information about these drones is available in our special report, “American Hornet: Strike UAV Destroying Russian Logistics.”