Russian army destroys first Ukrainian Stormer HVM Starstreak air defense vehicle using Lancet drone
According to a video published on the Russian MoD (Ministry of Defense) VK social network account on March 11, 2023, Russian armed forces have destroyed the first Stormer HVM Starstreak air defense missile system of the Ukrainian army using Lancet loitering munitions.
Follow Army Recognition on Google News at this link
According to a video published by the Russian MoD on March 11, 2023, the Russian army destroyed the first Stormer HVM Starstreak air defense missile system of the Ukrainian army using Lancet loitering munitions. (Picture source Russian MoD footage)
Since the beginning of the War in Ukraine, the use of loitering munitions by Russian and Ukrainian armies has become one of the most used weapons to target armored vehicles. According to our information, this is the first time that Russia announced the destruction of a Ukrainian Stormer HVM Starstreak air defense missile tracked armored vehicle.
Ukraine has been facing a growing threat from loitering munitions, also known as kamikaze drones. These are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are designed to loiter in the air for extended periods of time, waiting for a target to appear, before diving and crashing into the target to deliver an explosive payload
The use of loitering munitions in Ukraine has been primarily attributed to Russian-backed separatist forces in the Donbas region. These munitions have been used to target Ukrainian military positions, as well as civilian infrastructure such as airports, power plants, and water treatment facilities.
The Lancet is a family of loitering munitions also called suicide or kamikaze drone that is designed and developed by the Russian company Zala Group, a subdivision of the Kalashnikov Group. It is now widely used by the Russian troops deployed in Ukraine to destroy in priority the military equipment and the armored vehicles provided by the United States and European countries.
The Lancet-3 is the variant used to destroy armored vehicles. The drone can be armed either with high explosive (HE) or HE-fragmentation warheads. The drone can fly at a speed from 80 to 110 km/h with a maximum endurance of 40 minutes and has a range of 40 km maximum.
The Stormer HVM Starstreak is an air defense missile system based on tracked armored vehicle that was given by the United Kingdom at the beginning of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. It is a short-range surface-to-air missile system developed by the British defense company Thales.
The Stormer Starstreak is fitted with a launching station armed with eight Starstreak missiles in the ready-to-launch position with additional missiles being carried in reserve. The missile is designed to engage fast-moving aerial targets, such as aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), at ranges of up to 7 km.
The Stormer HVM Starstreak mobile air defense missile donated by the United Kingdom is in service with the Ukrainian army since April 2022. (Picture source Reddit)