Ukrainian troops released new details of the secretive mid-range drone they’re using to batter Russia’s R-280 logistics highway far behind the southern front lines.
The 412th Nemesis Brigade, of the Unmanned Systems Forces, published close-up and pre-launch footage on Saturday of the strike aircraft, dubbed the Morrigan.
The fixed-wing drone, sporting a single-propeller engine on its nose, is locally produced and “designed to operate behind enemy lines,” the brigade said in a statement.
“With the permission of the manufacturer, we are lifting the curtain: What kind of secret drone is this?” it wrote, calling the Morrigan its “secret weapon” at mid-range.
A clip of the Morrigan being readied for flight shows it to be roughly 4 to 5 feet long, with swept wings and two tail fins. The drone appears to be launched from a rail or slingshot platform, allowing it to take off without a runway.
The Morrigan is one entry in an emerging drone class that Ukraine is using more frequently this year to attack Russian forces and logistics about 20 to 300 kilometers, or 12 to 186 miles, behind the front lines.
They’re usually lighter than the long-range drones that strike Russia’s defense and oil industries. But they use a fixed-wing design instead of the first-person-view quadcopters dominating the battlefield.
The goal with these mid-range drones, analysts and Ukrainian officials have said, has been to slow Russia’s advance by forcing it to pull back from what it deems safe areas for supply routes.
That’s what the 412th did with the Morrigan, attacking a 370-mile route called the R280 “Novorossiya” highway used by Russia to supply its southern front.
“This aircraft has already operated in Crimea on several occasions and destroyed top Russian air defense and support targets,” the 412th wrote. “And right now, it is conducting a logistical hunt from Mariupol to Crimea.”
The R280 runs from Rostov-on-Don to Crimea, spanning all the occupied Ukrainian territory in the south. It’s typically about 50 to 75 miles from the front lines, following the coast of the Sea of Azov and passing through cities such as Mariupol and Melitopol.
Last week, the 412th uploaded clips of several drone attacks on supply and fuel convoys driving along a highway, saying it had destroyed “dozens” of Russian trucks and gas stations.
The unit didn’t reveal the Morrigan’s name at the time, referring to it as a “secret wing” specifically built for the attack mission.
Meanwhile, Russian-backed officials in the occupied territories said on Monday that they were working on alternative routes for the R280 highway, citing intensified Ukrainian attacks since mid-May. The route is also used by civilian motorists and commercial transport.
Russian state media outlet TASS highlighted at least five Ukrainian attacks on the R280 last week, with at least three involving supply or fuel trucks.
On May 21, the Russian-backed governor of the Kherson region, Vladimir Saldo, ordered a temporary closure of part of the highway to non-essential civilian traffic.
