Ukraine leverages modified A‑22 in Grozny police base strike
Forbes analyst David Axe reveals details of the attack on the police base in Grozny. He explains that the Ukrainians used a modified Aeroprakt A-22 aircraft in the attack.
Let's recall that on Sunday, 15 December, there was an attack on the OMON base, a special unit of the Russian police in Grozny. According to Forbes analyst David Axe, Ukraine might have used a modified A-22 aircraft, converted into a combat drone. Axe emphasises that this is another instance in a series of long-range attacks that Ukraine has been conducting since the start of the year.
Attack on the base in Grozny
Chechnya has once again become the target of drone attacks. On Sunday morning in Grozny, there were several explosions that affected the police garrison and a military base. Witnesses describe that before the explosions, the sound of approaching drones could be heard. Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of Chechnya, announced retaliation for the attacks, using intelligence data from 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 also carried explosive charges to strike the designated target. The price of this machine is estimated at around £70,000. Axe also points out one detail – the aircraft could have been previously registered, which may suggest that the Ukrainian armed forces have used A-22s from their arsenal and are not purchasing machines from the primary market.
The strike caused a wave of fire but did not result in a shower of debris, distinguishing it from attacks using missiles (e.g., Storm Shadow). The A-22, with a simpler warhead, reaches a maximum speed of 200 km/h, making it slightly less mobile than faster missiles. The Aeroprakt A-22 is, in its basic version, an ultra-light aircraft built in a high-wing strut configuration. Its first flight took place in 1996.
The machine is powered by a Rotax 912 unit, which generates about 90 horsepower. With a wingspan of just over 9 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 is worth noting, however, that the drone used in the attack on the base in Grozny underwent modifications, the details of which are unknown—its parameters probably slightly differed from those we know from the basic variant of the A-22.
