Ukraine has used British drones for deep strikes on Russia for the first time - The Times

Ukrainian forces have begun using British-made unmanned aerial vehicles for the first time in a campaign of deep strikes against industrial and military facilities on Russian territory, The Times reports, citing several sources in the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

According to the publication, drones made by two British companies have been used in operations over the past six months. Targets included oil infrastructure facilities in Russia's Volgograd and Yaroslavl regions.

The Times calls this a new stage in the military partnership between Britain and Ukraine. Previously, Kyiv employed Western long-range missiles, notably British Storm Shadows, but strike drones are significantly cheaper, can be produced in greater numbers, and used in massed groups to overwhelm Russian air defenses.

What is known about the British drones

One of the British systems reportedly used in the campaign is the Nyan jet-powered strike drone. It was developed by Callen-Lenz, a company within Britain's BAE Systems.

Nyan has a wingspan of about 2.9 metres, is powered by a micro-turbine engine and launched from a pneumatic catapult. The system operates as a one-way strike asset: the route to a predetermined target is programmed before launch.

In June, Callen-Lenz head Matt Foster told the specialist publication Janes that the company had already delivered "thousands" of such systems, used in real combat. He did not name the customer, but Janes at the time speculated it could be Ukraine.

In July, Nyan was also tested by Britain's Royal Navy. The drone was launched from the experimental ship XV Patrick Blackett. Earlier, the British Army tested the system during Exercise Spring Storm in Estonia.

The name of the second British manufacturer is deliberately withheld by The Times for security reasons. Its drone is catapult-launched and has a range of over 600 miles – about 965 kilometres. This makes it suitable for targets far beyond the Russian-Ukrainian border.

Ukraine has sharply increased its long-range strike campaign

That said, British systems represent just a part of Ukraine's deep strike arsenal – the majority of long-range drones Ukraine produces itself. The Times says that in the first half of the year, Ukraine carried out about 700 successful deep strike operations, hitting targets in 52 of Russia's 83 regions.

Priority targets for such operations include oil refineries, fuel infrastructure, logistics hubs, military bases and transport facilities supporting the Russian army.

Ukraine's Kurs previously reported that by the end of June Ukrainian drones had already attacked eight of the ten largest Russian oil refineries. In July, Ukrainian forces also reached the Omsk refinery for the first time, covering about 2,500 km over Russian territory.

The novelty of the current report is precisely that The Times has confirmed the involvement of British unmanned systems in this campaign. Earlier, long-range strikes on Russian territory were mostly associated with Ukrainian developments.

Based on materials from: The Times, Janes, Royal Navy