New type of Ukrainian drone attacked Druzhba oil pipeline: fire was recorded by NASA satellites - Forbes
Ukraine may have attacked a pumping station of the Druzhba oil pipeline in the Bryansk region with new bomber drones.
According to Censor.NET, Forbes reports.
The resulting flames lit up the night sky and were hot enough to be detected by NASA's fire detection satellites.
"Judging by the fire, the strike was accurate," an Estonian analyst told WarTranslated.
The Druzhba pipeline is one of the largest in the world, a critical infrastructure hub for Russia's most profitable industry.
Ukraine already uses modified civilian sport aircraft for combat missions. For example, the Aeroprakt A-22 can carry a 100-kilogram bomb. So far, these drones have been used in attacks as strike vehicles, but the situation is changing.
The ability to drop bombs gives drones a significant advantage. For example, while an A-22 loaded with explosives can only cover 640 kilometers in the opposite direction, its range increases to 1300 kilometers on a one-way mission. These are the distances covered by Ukrainian attacks on Russian oil facilities.
The target in the Bryansk region was located only 40 kilometers from the border with Ukraine, so the endurance of the drones was not a key factor. The drones could drop their bombs and return to base.
However, the difficulty of remote landing remains a big problem. It is likely that the operators decided not to take any risks and used a double-strike tactic: first, they dropped the bombs, and then sent the drones to re-fly to strike the target.
It is noted that if the Ukrainian military can organize the safe return of the drones after the mission, these devices will become reusable weapons. This will allow them to be used to attack multiple targets, which will significantly increase the effectiveness of strikes on Russian oil infrastructure.
To recap, on the night of January 30, drones attacked the Bryansk region of the Russian Federation. Residents of the village of Mamai in the Bryansk region said they heard a loud explosion from the distribution station of the Druzhba oil pipeline.
