Ukrainian Drones Strike Russian Orion UAV Base at Kirovske Airfield in Crimea

Ukrainian drones struck a storage and maintenance base for Russian Orion reconnaissance and strike drones at the Kirovske airfield in temporarily occupied Crimea.

Robert “Magyar” Brovdi, commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces, reported on this.

The military released a video of a series of attacks on this facility by Russian invaders.

According to the commander, this is the combat work of drone operators of the 1st Separate Center of the USF (transformed 14th Regiment of the USF).

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine added that the parking lot of Russian helicopters at this airfield was also hit at night.

Orion

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

The range of the Orion is 1,000-1,500 km, the flight duration is up to 24 hours, and the altitude is up to 7 km.

The drone can use various types of ammunition, for which it is possible to install up to four suspensions on the airframe.

The declared armament of the Orion includes guided, small-sized airborne missiles and various types of adjusted air bombs. The Russians also use it to launch the small-sized S8000 Banderol cruise missile.

Development of the Orion UAV began in 2011 by the Kronstadt Group of Companies. The first prototype for testing was built in 2015. The first Orion strike UAVs were transferred for trial operation in April 2020, and in August of the same year, a contract was signed to start mass production.

Ukrainian operators already have experience in shooting down such Russian drones using interceptor drones.

As for the airfield, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have repeatedly hit it during the full-scale war with Russia. Read more about this in the article: “From Ukraine’s Tu-142M to drone strikes: Kirovske airfield that has not been forgotten”.