Russia deploys new jet-powered drone on front line, Ukraine says

Russian forces have begun using a new jet-powered drone on the battlefield, according to a Ukrainian military adviser, raising concerns about the evolving capabilities of Moscow's unmanned aerial systems.

Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's defence ministry and a prominent analyst of drone warfare, said the aircraft appears to be a jet-powered version of the Russian-made Delta drone.

Writing on social media, Beskrestnov said the new unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was a low-cost design that had recently started appearing on the front line.

"There is an opinion that this is a jet-powered version of the Delta UAV," he said.

According to the specifications cited by Beskrestnov, the drone has a strike range of up to 200km, a flight endurance of around 50 minutes and a top speed of 280km/h.

By Aghakazim Guliyev