Ukraine's "Baba Yaga" drones expose Russian air defence flaws
The war in Ukraine has revealed Russia's vulnerabilities and tested the quality of Russian equipment. One notable example is the attack by a commercial drone called "Baba Yaga" on the Russian Tor air defence system, valued at tens of millions of dollars. Here are the details of this encounter.
The video below shows how the "Baba Yaga" drone, in its night version equipped with a thermal imaging camera, also known as "Vampire," bombed the Russian 9K331 Tor-M1 or possibly 9K332 Tor-M2 air defence system. It is particularly humiliating for the Russians because one of the primary purposes of this system is to target Ukrainian drones, and constructions like "Baba Yaga" are not stealth drones.
Although the attack initially appeared not to cause significant damage, it’s important to note that radar antennas are the air defence system's most costly and difficult-to-repair components. Moreover, they are also the most fragile parts, and damaging the radar antenna with debris can destroy it or severely impair its functionality.
Additionally, it seems that Ukrainians have once again managed to overcome Russian jammers, as drone operators can now fly relatively unpunished over Russian-held territory. It’s noteworthy that Tor systems are usually positioned about 20 kilometres from the front lines and are intended to protect, among other things, ammunition depots and supply routes.
"Vampire" - the night variant of "Baba Yaga" drones
Ukrainian "Baba Yaga" drones are a conventional term for commercially large drones modified for military use. Preferred models include octocopters or agricultural drones capable of carrying more than 20 kilograms of payload. For example, the DJI FlyCart 30 drone can carry up to 30 kilograms of payload.
This likely includes, among other equipment, a larger battery to extend range and, for example, additional antennas to utilize a lower frequency control signal. The remaining space is dedicated to a release system, such as 60 mm mortar shells, 40 mm grenades, or homemade bombs based on, for instance, energy drink cans.
These types of drones can ascend to 3 kilometres, and recently, Ukrainians have been experimenting with equipping them with laser-guided missiles. Flying at night is advantageous because, due to equipment shortages, Russian soldiers with shotguns are much less effective drone hunters during this time.
