Ukraine’s latest potent weapon is a homegrown drone that, when it’s not carrying hundreds of pounds of high explosive, has room for two adults and their baggage. The “mass drone attack” conducted against three air bases hundreds of miles inside Russia, was reportedly carried out at least in part, by Aeroprakt A-22 light sport aircraft fitted with remote piloting systems and the rest of the space filled with explosives. It’s made by Ukraine-based Aeroprakt Aircraft. Ukraine is claiming that up to six Russian aircraft were destroyed, eight were damaged. Another attack reportedly hit the dormitory of a drone factory making Iranian attack drones in Tartarstan and injured 13 people.
Forbes is reporting the converted LSAs have a range of up to 600 miles, three times that of its other attack drones. Although they only fly about 80 knots, there’s not much in the way of air defenses in much of that part of Russia so survivability is quite high. But the main advantage is cost. The assembled cost of the aircraft is about $90,000, far less than the cost of long-range missiles typically used for deep strikes like this. The remote-pilot gear value isn’t known. In their LSA form, the A-22 has either a Rotax 912 or 912ULS for power and is an all-metal high-wing design. Aeroprakt ships them all over the world as complete aircraft and as kits. In the U.S., it’s distributed by Leighnor Aircraft in Prescott, Arizona.
