The Times: Ukraine Used British Nyan Drones to Attack Oil Refineries

Ukraine used British-made Nyan attack drones to strike Russian oil refineries in Volgograd and Yaroslavl.

The Times reported the attacks.

The Nyan drone was developed by British company Callen-Lenz, which is part of FalconWorks, the technology division of BAE Systems.

The drone has a wingspan of 2.9 meters and a maximum takeoff weight of more than 75 kg. It is launched using a pneumatic catapult.

The aircraft is powered by a single gas turbine engine. It has a cruising speed of 120 knots, or about 222 km/h, and a reported range of more than 250 km.

The drone can carry up to 20 kg of payload. Its modular design allows different equipment to be installed depending on the mission.

Nyan drones have been in service with the Ukrainian Defense Forces for some time.

In late June 2024, an identical drone was found on Russian territory. At the time, it was mistakenly identified as a new Ukrainian kamikaze drone.

It later emerged that the drone is manufactured by British company Callen-Lenz at a facility in Wiltshire. In addition to Ukraine, Nyan drones have also entered service with the British Army.

The first unit to receive these drones was the 26th Regiment Royal Artillery, part of the 3rd Division. The British military uses Nyan as a long-range strike system and to complement the artillery capabilities of its units.

The drone was initially tested in Estonia during the annual Spring Storm exercises, where the Royal Artillery conducted test launches and practiced coordination. Following the trials, the regiment officially adopted the Nyan UAV into service.

Its use is expected to expand to other units in the future.

To expand the drone’s operational capabilities, the British Army, together with the Royal Navy, also tested launching it from a surface vessel.

In June 2026, a catapult was installed on the experimental vessel XV Patrick Blackett, from which a Nyan drone was launched.

Back in February 2026, Callen-Lenz was awarded a £4.99 million contract (approximately $6.7 million) by the UK Ministry of Defence to supply Nyan OWE systems to enhance deep-strike capabilities.

According to the official explanation, Nyan became the only mass-produced system of its class registered in the Military Aircraft Register. This was a key factor in selecting the system for rapid deployment.