How Ukraine's 'Punisher' drone is targeting Russian supply lines
Categories: FOREIGN COUNTRIES Technology
As the war with Russia continues to drag on, Ukraine has deployed the lethal Punisher drones which has carried out several successful missions.It can reportedly fly upto 30 miles inside enemy territory and has been used to disrupt Russia's supply lines blasting the long convoys and targeting the ammunition dumps.The drones fly almost undetected with a wingspan of 7.5 feet and can fly at a height of 1,300 feet. The flight path of the "Punisher" is automatic and it feeds off its companion drone called the "Spectre" which helps in reconnaissance and identifying targets. The drone is reportedly designed by a company called UA Dynamics comprising of veterans who fought in the Crimea conflict against Russia in 2014.The pride of Ankara, Turkish combat drones were quickly put into action by Ukraine following Russia's invasion.But while they have proved their worth in several recent conflicts -- from Syria to Libya to Nagorno-Karabakh -- the terrain this time is less favourable, experts say.Kyiv has around 20 Bayraktar TB2 drones, built by the Turkish military. Relatively cheap and effective, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been their number one salesman, securing deals with around 15 countries around the world.The Ukrainian ambassador in Ankara has regularly tweeted images of explosions attributed to the drones, targeting Russian columns and artillery, with accompanying phrases like: - "Mashallah (God be praised)" and strings of joyous emojis. "These TB2 strikes are, in comparison to ground combat, relatively small in number, but important for Ukrainian morale precisely because it shows Russia does not control the skies," said Aaron Stein, of the Foreign Policy Research Institute.