Russia ensures that Ukraine is attacking their positions with a new kind of kamikaze drone which had not been seen until now in the war started by Moscow. Russian media have published images with the remains of a drone which was supposed to be the model Lord, ‘Lord’ in Spanish, from the Swiss company Destinus. According to the Ukrainian media Defense Blog, which does not confirm that the remains correspond to a Lord, it would be a model developed especially for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
This kamikaze drone is from large size and long reach. Its range can reach between 750 and more than 2,000 kilometersdepending on the version, making it one of the longest-range drones in Ukraine. Has the ability to perform various operational roles and can carry warheads of up to 25 kilograms.
Ukraine uses the “Lord” kamikaze UAV from the Swiss company Destinus.
The “Lord” carries 22-25kg warheads, including this interesting 50cm by 20cm cylinder.
It contains 7 separate pipes inside, and from the signs of great heat appears to be a liquid filled incendiary device.
1/ pic.twitter.com/CKA35c3Ir6— Roy🇨🇦 (@GrandpaRoy2) December 1, 2024
Destinus is a startup founded by Mikhail Kokoricha Russian dissident who fled the regime Vladimir Putinspecialized in autonomous flight systems for civil and defense applications. Although Switzerland, where the company is officially registered, maintains a policy of neutrality and does not export weapons to conflict zones, Destinus’ operations also extend to Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and France. This geographical distribution could facilitate the delivery of drones to Ukraine, bypassing Swiss restrictions. The company has not commented on Russia’s accusations in relation to the Lord drone, but the Ukrainian media Kyiv Post already published in February that Destinus was secretly providing military drones to Ukraine.
The Lord drone is designed to fast and low cost production. According to the official Destinus website, the UAV is built with easily accessible components that make it relatively cheap to manufacture.
In addition to kamikaze missions, the Lord drone can perform long-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR), monitoring and mapping, emergency cargo delivery, signals intelligence (SIGINT)/electronic intelligence (ELINT), UAV pilot training and jamming operations.
According to the manufacturer, Lord also offers a Low radar footprint and the option to operate in radio silencemaking it suitable for stealth missions. Its ability to adapt to different masses and payload formats enhances its versatility.
All of these capabilities, if confirmed to be a Lord variant, would pose a new concern for Russian forces, especially due to its extended range and ability to evade radar detection. According to military experts, the Lord could not only attack military targets deep behind enemy lines, but also gather critical intelligence on Russian positions and equipment, enabling subsequent attacks with other means.