Ukrainian Fiber-Optic Drones Target 2S7 Pion and Msta-S Artillery Systems

Ukrainian drone operators managed to locate and destroy Russian long-range artillery systems – the 2S7 Pion and Msta-S.

The 2S7 Pion self-propelled gun was struck by a fiber-optic drone operated by the 1st Mechanized Battalion of the 44th Mechanized Brigade. Footage of the strike was published on X (formerly Twitter) by a user named Gik.

The Russian artillery system had been hidden in the rear, inside a former industrial building. The drone entered the building through an opening and struck the system inside.

Another Russian self-propelled howitzer, the Msta-S, was also destroyed by a Ukrainian fiber-optic drone, according to Ukrainian volunteer Serhii Sternenko.

“One of the units encountered a rare beast these days – a Msta-S self-propelled howitzer. Of course, it was destroyed using your fiber-optic drones,” the statement reads.

The 2S7 Pion fires 203 mm shells at a range of 37 to 47 kilometers. Meanwhile, the 2S19 Msta-S can engage targets at a distance of 24–29 kilometers.

Ukrainian forces likely used FPV drones controlled via a fiber-optic cable up to 50 km long. Fiber-optic drones are effective but quite expensive. In some cases, the Starlink system is now already cheaper than a spool of fiber-optic cable used to control such drones.