Peklo Jet Drones Hit a Crossing Near Luhansk

The Russians have released the first evidence of the combat use of Peklo jet drones, which destroyed a road crossing in the Luhansk region.

Parapax published the video featuring the Ukrainian drone wreckage.

The invaders reported a strike on the Aidar River crossing and the damage to a nearby pumping station by Ukrainian attack drones.

They mistakenly identified it as a long-range Liutyi drone, as the characteristic shape of the tail section wreckage with a jet engine on it allows us to confidently state that it is a Peklo drone in the photo.

The drone strikes caused undetermined damage to the pumping station building and allegedly “broke” the crossing.

Given that the drone’s warhead does not exceed 30-50 kilograms, it may be a light pontoon crossing, not a reinforced concrete structure.

Peklo is actually a small cruise missile, whose speed has increased several times compared to other Ukrainian long-range drones due to jet propulsion. It is claimed to be capable of reaching speeds of up to 700 km/h and covering a distance of 700 kilometers.

Ukraine’s Ukroboronprom presented the new development last December, announcing the delivery of the first batch of several dozen units to the Defense Forces.

Since then, and to this day, there has been no reliable information about the combat use of the Peklo. Only once did the Russian media claim that these “missile drones” had struck the Druzhba oil pipeline facility, but no photos were provided to confirm their use.

The Peklo jet drone is essentially a small cruise missile. The developers claim that thanks to the jet engine, their development reaches speeds of up to 700 km/h and is capable of covering distances of up to 700 kilometers.

Navigation and targeting of the missile is based on the classical scheme, which is based on an autonomous inertial system with correction by a GPS satellite signal. The designers are also working on more sophisticated guidance methods that will be integrated in future versions.

This February, Herman Smetanin, Minister of Strategic Industries, announced that the drone continues to be improved by increasing its resistance to electronic warfare and enhancing its performance and accuracy. Additionally, the development of new warhead variants is underway, which will expand the list of potential targets for destruction.

According to the developers, the production of the new missile costs less than the Ukrainian Liutyi kamikaze drone. Its price reached $200,000 at the beginning of 2024.