When two white vapour trails cross the sky near to the front line of eastern Ukraine, this tends to mean only one thing. Russian jets are about attack.
But what happened near Kostyantynivka, Ukraine was unprecedented. The lower trail split into two and the new object accelerated quickly towards the other vapour trails until they crossed. A bright orange flash lit the sky.
Was it, as many thought, a Russian warplane shooting down another in a so-called friendly attack 20km (12 miles), or a Ukrainian jet shooting a Russian plane down?
The Ukrainians were intrigued to discover that the S-70 stealth drone, Russia’s latest weapon, had been destroyed.
This is not your average drone. This heavy, unmanned vehicle has a cockpit but is as large as a fighter plane. It’s called Okhotnik. It is extremely hard to detect, and its developers claim that it has “almost” no analog in the world.
It may all be true, but the second trail on the video appears to have been left by a Russian Su-57 jet that was apparently chasing the plane down.
The Russian plane could have been trying re-establish contact with the errant UAV, but since they were both flying in a Ukrainian air defense zone, it’s assumed that a decision was taken to destroy the Okhotnik so it didn’t end up in enemy possession.
Moscow and Kyiv are yet to comment on the incident that occurred in the skies above Kostyantynivka. Analysts believe that the Russians lost control of their drone due to possible jamming from Ukraine’s electronic war systems.
The S-70, a Russian drone, is the most advanced of all the drones used in this war.
It is said to weigh more than 20 tons and have a range of 3,700 miles (6,000 km).
It looks like an arrow and is very similar to the American X-47B stealth combat drone, which was created a decade earlier.
The Okhotnik should be able carry bombs and missiles to strike both aerial and ground targets, as well as conduct recon.
It is also designed to work with Russia’s fifth-generation Su-57 jet fighters.
The first flight was in 2019.
There was no evidence, until last weekend, that it had been deployed in Russia’s 2.5-year-long war in Ukraine.
It was reportedly seen earlier this year at the Akhtubinsk Airfield in southern Russia. This is one of the launch pads for attacks on Ukraine.
It is possible that the flight over Kostyantynivka, which was aborted, was Moscow’s first attempt to test out its new weapon under combat conditions.
The wreckage of a Russian long-range D–30 D-30 glide bomb was found near the crash site.
Satellite navigation is used by these deadly weapons to make them even more dangerous.
What was the Okhotnik’s purpose in flying with a Su-57 jet, then? Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi is an aviation expert based in Kyiv. He believes that the warplane could have sent a signal to the drone from a base on the ground to increase their scope of operation.
The failure of the stealth drone is a major blow to Russia’s military. The unmanned aircraft was supposed to be ready for production this year, but it is clearly not.
It is believed that four prototype S-70s were built. The one that was blown out of a sky over Ukraine may have been the most advanced.
Even though the Okhotnik was destroyed, Ukrainian forces might still be able glean valuable data about it.
Anatoliy Khrapchysnkyi explains that “we may learn if it has its radars to locate targets or if the ammunition is programmed with coordinates where to strike.”
He believes that just by looking at the images of the crash site it is obvious the drone’s stealth abilities are limited.
He says that radar can detect the round shape of the engine nozzle. The many rivets that are likely made of aluminum on the aircraft are also the same.
Engineers from Ukraine will no doubt examine the wreckage and report their findings to Kyiv’s Western allies.
This incident shows that the Russians do not stand still and are reliant on massive human resources as well as conventional weapons.
They are developing new and more intelligent ways to fight war. What failed today could succeed the next time.