Vantor vs Russia

Optically-guided midrange drones

Ukraine’s midrange strikes have generated less heat and light than the counter-value campaign against Russian refineries and prestige strikes on Moscow. But they are far more important for the war effort. Ukraine has managed to impose a partial but very painful ‘drone blockade’ on the R-280, also known as the Novorossiya highway, the central supply line of the Russian war effort in Ukraine. This has triggered a fuel crisis in Crimea and hampered Russian military logistics.

The weapon being used for these midrange strikes is the Hornet, a seven foot long, AI-guided drone with a range of 150 km built by the American firm Perennial Autonomy that was founded by Eric Schmidt. This drone costs just $5,000 and is by all accounts highly effective.

But the drone itself is not the reason for the success of the midrange interdiction campaign. Russia is the world’s leading electronic warfare power. It has been able to jam all GPS-guided drones. This has forced the Ukrainians to use fiber optic cables for the tactical FPV one-way attack drones. But those top out at a range of 50 km.