Ukrainian Forces Attacked Storage Facility for Forpost and Orion Drones in Crimea

Ukrainian Defense Forces struck hangars in Yevpatoria where Russian troops stored and maintained Forpost and Orion multi-purpose drones.

Dnipro Osint reported this news.

The attack took place on February 27 and targeted the territory of the Yevpatoria Aviation Repair Plant. Here the Russian forces store and maintain these drones.

Satellite images taken after the strike showed damage to at least three hangars. The published images show that the weapons — likely kamikaze drones — pierced the roofs of the buildings and probably penetrated inside.

The extent of the damage inside is currently unknown.

This is not the first time the facility has been targeted by Ukrainian long-range drones. In particular, on February 21, it was also struck — at that time, two Be-12 anti-submarine aircraft were reported to have been hit.

This is also not the first attack on facilities in Crimea where Orion-type drones were stationed. One such strike was carried out on the Kirovskoye airfield in November 2025.

Russian forces use Forpost and Orion drones to monitor the coastal zone of Crimea, as well as to detect and destroy Ukrainian naval drones, which regularly raid military facilities on the peninsula and in the Kuban region.

Orion

The Russian Orion reconnaissance and strike drone has a wingspan of about 16 meters and a length of about 8 meters. Its maximum takeoff weight is about 1.2 tons, and its payload is up to 200 kg.

The aircraft’s flight range is estimated at 1,000-1,500 km, its flight duration can reach 24 hours, and its maximum flight altitude is up to 7 km.

The drone is capable of using various types of weapons: its design provides for the installation of up to four suspension points for ammunition.

The declared arsenal includes guided small-sized aviation missiles and various types of guided aviation bombs. In addition, Russian forces use Orion as a platform for launching the S8000 Bandero small cruise missile.

Development of the Orion UAV began in 2011 by the Kronstadt group of companies. The first prototype for testing was created in 2015. In April 2020, the first strike drones were handed over for trial operation, and in August of the same year, a contract was signed to start serial production.

Forpost

The Russian Forpost reconnaissance and strike UAV is an operational-tactical level aircraft based on the Israeli Searcher Mk II UAV and localized in Russia.

Its wingspan is about 8.5 meters, its length is approximately 5.8 meters, and its maximum take-off weight is about 500 kg. Its payload is up to 100 kg, depending on the modification.

The range of the system can exceed 250 km from the ground control station, the flight duration is up to 16-18 hours, and the operating altitude is up to 5-6 km.

The basic version of the Forpost was designed for aerial reconnaissance, artillery fire correction, and surveillance. The upgraded version, the Forpost-R, can carry weapons. In particular, the drone can carry small guided aerial munitions on two underwing suspension points.

Licensed assembly of the Forpost in Russia began in the early 2010s at the Ural Civil Aviation Plant. After the cessation of military-technical cooperation with Israel, the Russian side announced the complete localization of production and the creation of an upgraded version using domestic components.