Ukraine shoots down Chinese commercial drones converted and armed by Russia experts reveal Both sides used Chinese drones in the war.
CNN news agency reported exclusive information. When Ukrainian forces took local journalists to look at a drone that was shot down by an AK-47 over the weekend. That needs special attention because it is a “made in China” drone.
The drone has been identified as Mugin-5, a commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) manufactured by the Chinese company Mugin Limited in the port city of Xiamen.
It is called the “Alibaba Drone” because it is sold on Alibaba and other shopping platforms such as Taobao at a price of up to 15,000 US dollars (about 510,000 baht).
Mugin Limited confirmed to CNN that the drone was actually a drone they produced, but it is not known how this commercial drone was used in war. and called this incident “It is extremely unfortunate.”
This is the latest example of how Russia has adapted and weaponized civilian drones. and was used in the Ukrainian war
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said it happened late on Friday night, when their officers stationed in Russian-occupied territory alerted them that an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle was being launched from That and was heading straight to Ukraine.
The SBU then alerted military units stationed in eastern Ukraine. near the city of Slovyansk
Then, at around 2am on Saturday, a fighter plane from the 111th Brigade of the Ukrainian Defense Forces heard a drone overhead. There are also reports of flashing lights from drones.
“From the sound, from the lights, the soldiers fired at him,” Maxim said, adding that the UAV was flying at a very low altitude. And close enough to shoot down with a gun.
The condition of this drone that CNN reporters saw was that there was a bullet hole in the head of the machine, the parts were shattered into pieces and suffered great damage. in the vicinity The soldiers also pointed out a small pond where the drone landed with a bomb weighing around 20 kilograms, which could be safely defused.
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Ukrainian soldiers also showed it to CNN reporters How powerful was the bomb attached to it? And how dangerous is landing in Ukraine?
Chris Lincoln-Jones Retired British Army Officer And drone experts say this armed drone has no camera. This means it cannot be used for surveillance or spying. Therefore, it is likely to be a drone intended as a silent bomb.
said Lincoln-Jones “This drone we’re looking at will be more effective with a good camera in it.”
He added that the use of commercial drones as an attack weapon adds further evidence to the theory that Russia is not a military power as the world expects.
“This is a crude, simple and not very technologically advanced operation,” he said, adding that the price of this drone is very cheap from a military point of view.
However, it seems that it is not only Russia that uses Chinese commercial drones for military purposes.
Earlier in January, officials in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region reported that they had shot down a Mugin-5 launched by Ukrainian forces.
At the time, Ukrainian officials did not comment on the incident. But experts say “There is evidence that both sides have used this method in this war.”
NR Jensen-Jones, Defense Weapons and Intelligence Expert “Russia and Ukraine are using commercially available Chinese drones in their warfare.”
He added, “In this case, Mugin-5 would have been used in the role. It’s more of a ‘bomber’ than a suicide plane.” The bomb launch mechanism appears to be made with 3D printed components, indicating that this UAV has been adapt very quickly.
The incident has deeply upset Mugin Limited, a commercial drone manufacturer. And they are trying to find a way to prevent their product from becoming one of the armed forces of the army.
“We do not accept the use of our things in this way. We are doing our best to stop it,” said a spokesperson for Mugin Limited.
In an earlier statement on March 2, Mugin Limited said it “condemns” the use of its products in war, saying it had stopped selling to Russia or Ukraine since the war began early. .
Compiled from CNN
Image from CNN
