Ukraine's tactical innovation: Attack on Grozny police base
Forbes analyst David Axe details the recent attack on a police base in Grozny. According to him, the Ukrainians utilized a modified Aeroprakt A-22 aircraft.
To recall, on Sunday, December 15, there was an attack on the OMON base, a special unit of the Russian police located in Grozny. Forbes analyst David Axe suggests that Ukraine converted a modified A-22 aircraft into a combat drone. Axe highlights that this is another in a series of long-range attacks that Ukraine has been executing since the start of the year.
Attack on the base in Grozny
Chechnya has once again found itself the target of drone assaults. On Sunday morning in Grozny, several explosions impacted the police garrison and a military base. Witnesses reported hearing the sound of approaching drones before the explosions occurred. The leader of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, has vowed retaliation for these attacks, utilizing operational data gathered by his scouts.
Ukrainians modified the aircraft
The modified A-22, with a range of up to 1,300 kilometres, was equipped with an additional fuel tank and remote control systems. It was also armed with explosive charges to hit the designated targets. The cost of this aircraft is estimated to be around $90,000 CAD. Axe also notes an interesting detail—the aircraft might have been previously registered, indicating the potential that the Ukrainian armed forces have retained A-22s in their arsenal instead of procuring them from the primary market.
The strike resulted in a fire, but not a debris spread, distinguishing it from missile attacks such as those using Storm Shadow. The A-22, featuring a simpler warhead, reaches a maximum speed of 200 km/h, making it slightly less maneuverable than faster missiles. The Aeroprakt A-22, in its basic form, is an ultra-light aircraft characterized by a high-wing strut configuration. It first flew in 1996.
The aircraft is powered by a Rotax 912 engine that generates approximately 90 horsepower. With a wingspan of just over 9.5 metres, a length of about 6 metres, and a height of just under 2.5 metres, the A-22 weighs 270 kilograms and accelerates to a speed of approximately 180 km/h. It's important to note that the drone used in the Grozny base attack underwent modifications that remain unknown, potentially altering the specifications of the standard A-22 model.
