Russia’s all-new, advanced Kub-10E long-range, precision-strike, kamikaze drone has reportedly made its debut amid intensifying hostilities between Russia and Ukraine in Kursk.
A video of the first use of the kamikaze drone was published by its manufacturer, Kalashnikov Concern, on its official Telegram channel. The footage has since been posted to social media site X by Russian military bloggers.
Kalashnikov states that with its increased range, accuracy, and combat efficacy, this cutting-edge drone significantly improves Kalashnikov’s unmanned aerial capabilities.
Some reports published in Ukrainian media suggested that the drone was deployed to Kursk on January 2, days after it was officially unveiled. EurAsian Times could not independently corroborate these claims.
As recently reported by EurAsian Times, the Ukrainian tanks and infantry were said to have targeted positions in Kursk, pushing into the village of Bolshoye Soldatskoye, located approximately 15 miles northeast of Sudzha, a Ukrainian stronghold in the region.
Both Russian and Ukrainian officials have confirmed the offensive, which was likely launched to strengthen Kyiv’s position before any peace negotiations. The attack, coming in the dead of winter, points to a calculated move by Ukraine to show its resolve and challenge Russian control over Kursk.
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As the day progressed, one of the most prominent Russian military bloggers, Rybar, reported that the Russian troops had managed to destroy one of the British Challenger tanks rolling into Kursk. Subsequently, footage of the claimed destruction was also shared, which suggested that the tank was hit by a drone.
“It was destroyed by drone crews from the 155th Guards Marine Brigade of the Pacific Fleet,” Rybar reported.
There is no information on the drone that purportedly attacked Ukraine’s tank, and it could not be independently confirmed whether it was indeed a British-origin Challenger-2 that had been hit. Nonetheless, EurAsian Times understands that the deployment of an advanced drone like the Kub-10E could prove to be extremely significant for Russia’s pushback against the Ukrainian forces.
What Do We Know About The Kub-10E?
A long-range kamikaze drone of the Kub-series of UAVs developed by Kalashnikov, the Kub-10E is likely to have a significant impact on the course of the Russian attacks on Ukraine.
The UAV was officially unveiled by Kalashnikov in late December last year along with footage that showed the launch of the Kub-10E using catapults. It was accompanied by its predecessor, the Kub-BLA kamikaze drone.
At the time, Kalashnikov CEO Alan Lushnikov said in an interview: “We have developed several new products in the Cube line. The permits for one of them are already ready, so I can tell you briefly about our new product. This is the Kub-10E strike drone. It is designed to destroy enemy unarmored military equipment and armored personnel carriers, command posts, air defense and missile defense facilities, electronic reconnaissance and electronic warfare, and rear support facilities.”
The Kub-10E ostensibly builds upon the capabilities of the Kub-BLA, although it does not feature a flying-wing design and is significantly larger in comparison. “Based on visual comparisons of the drones and their launch equipment, the Kub-10E appears to be approximately five times larger in volume than the Kub-BLA,” states Squadron Leader Vijainder K. Thakur (retd), former Indian Air Force officer and a renowned military expert.
The KUB-10E UAV is built for quick deployment and precision strikes. The manufacturer claims that its combat capabilities and flight range greatly outperform those of earlier drones in the series. The drone has an operational altitude range of 100 to 2,500 meters and a cruising speed of up to 100 kilometers/hour.
A Kalashnikov official earlier stated, “The flight range and combat power of the new guided munition significantly exceed the performance of previous models in the series.”
Thakur earlier predicted, “Based on its size and aerodynamically efficient design, the Kub-10E could potentially have a range of several hundred kilometers. Its large, straight wings would have a high lift coefficient, suggesting its range could rival or surpass that of the Geran-2 drones.”
The Kub-10E combines inertial and satellite navigation for precision targeting. Currently, it lacks an optical sensor, probably because hitting stationary targets that are dispersed geographically deep within the interior doesn’t require target recognition.
Moreover, this drone can function in a variety of weather conditions, such as circumstances with temperatures between -30°C and +40°C and wind gusts of up to 15 meters/second.
As noted by Thakur, the Kub-10E seems to have been developed by Russia in response to the shortcomings in the Geran-2 drone, which is based on the Iranian Shahed-136 platform. These restrictions include the usage of components of Western origin that need to be substituted through alternative procurement, as well as a smaller warhead.
Notably, with this, the Kub-10E becomes the latest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) to debut on the battlefield, which has been a testing ground for cutting-edge weapons.
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