In 2024, the Defense Forces received 6 thousand long-range drones
11 December, 2024 Ukrainian Lutyi attack drone. November 2024. Image: Office of the President of Ukraine
Since the beginning of 2024, the Ukrainian Defense Forces have received over 6,000 long-range strike drones. The Ministry of Defense reported this. The Ministry said that Lutyi, Firepoint, and other drones are used for deep strikes on Russian territory.
Most types of long-range drones that hit important targets of the aggressor country are unknown to the general public for reasons of secrecy and security.
Announcement on the supply of long-range UAVs, particularly Lutyi, to the Defense Forces of Ukraine. December 11, 2024. Screenshot from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense website
However, there is enough public information about Ukraine's most famous long-range strike drone, the Lutyi, which is causing Russia great problems.
Ukrainian Lutyi drone before launch. Photo: Come Back Alive Foundation
Lutyi
According to Ukrayinska Pravda, the first combat use of the Ukrainian Lutyi long-range strike drone took place on May 3, 2023. The Russian oil depot in the village of Volna on the Taman Peninsula was hit.
It is located on the Black Sea coast. At that time, it was the only ready-made copy of the Lutyi UAV in the Ukrainian Defense Forces. Its use on an important facility on the territory of the aggressor country was an experiment to see if the drone could accomplish the task of hitting targets deep behind enemy lines.
So far, the drone has already hit many Russian targets. Lutyi drone's fuselage is made in the form of an integral two-beam low-wing airframe. It is made of fiberglass with epoxy resin.
The design also uses metal mesh reinforcement and plywood to provide rigidity.
Lutyi drone before launch. Source: CNN
The drone has a fixed-wheeled chassis for takeoff by acceleration on a runway or a well-paved road. Lutyi is powered by an internal combustion engine with a three-propeller push-pull propeller located in the aft part.
In the bow, a large hood provides access to the compartment with a warhead that can weigh up to 75 kilograms. To simplify logistics, the design of the unmanned aircraft is meant to be disassembled into separate major parts.
In November, Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that Ukraine plans to produce at least 30,000 long-range drones in 2025.