The Kalashnikov Concern has fulfilled its plans for 2023 to ship Kub kamikaze drones to the troops.

"Previously supplied Kub guided munitions have proven themselves well in a special military operation," the company said in a press release on its website.

The concern also promised to continue "work on the supply of guided munitions."

In turn, Kalashnikov President Alan Lushnikov said that the company has managed to increase the production of UAVs in recent months.

"The concern's capacity in the UAV segment is actively increasing: production is expanding, modern equipment is being purchased, and work processes are being optimized. We have mastered the serial production of Kub complexes and in recent months have managed to increase their production volume by more than 2 times," the press service of the enterprise quotes him as saying.

In addition, the concern announced the expansion of the line of Kub UAVs due to the production of drones of "increased power".

"In the development of the product line and in close cooperation with the customer, the Kalashnikov Concern has begun supplying high-power ammunition. This will make it possible to more effectively hit enemy manpower and equipment," the company's website says.

The company also plans to increase the flight range of UAVs, the head of the concern added.

"We, of course, are working to increase the range, even more power, and provide additional means of navigation," Lushnikov explained.

According to military expert Yuri Knutov, "kamikaze drones are now in great demand among the troops, so the Kalashnikov Concern performs an important function by providing our servicemen with Cubes.

"Such devices allow the military to suppress enemy artillery on the line of contact with high efficiency. The presence of these complexes in the arsenal of our troops plays an important role in solving tasks within the framework of a special military operation," the analyst said in a conversation with RT.

The specialist also noted that the need to increase the power of the Kub combat unit was caused, among other things, by the actions of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"Increasing the power of the Cube warhead will play a crucial role, as Ukraine uses various means of anti-drone protection of equipment, including lattice screens. In addition, when striking dugouts and other fortified positions, a large power of the warhead is required, so the modernization of the Kub meets these requirements as well," explained Yuri Knutov.

Flying Wing and Double X

Recall that the creation of the Kub UAV, also known as the Kub-BLA, is being carried out by ZALA AERO (since 2015 it has been part of the Kalashnikov concern). For the first time, the development of such a device became known in 2019, when the Cube was presented at the IDEX-2019 International Exhibition of Arms and Military Equipment in Abu Dhabi.

The company's release noted that the Kub-BLA is designed to "destroy distant ground targets."

"The unmanned aerial vehicle delivers a special load according to the coordinates of the target, which are set manually or according to the image from the target guidance load," the concern said in its materials.

The developers called the advantages of the complex the possibility of covert launch of the drone, high accuracy of the shot, noiselessness and ease of handling. It was also noted that the speed range of the Cube is 80-130 km/h with a flight duration of 30 minutes and a payload weight of 3 kg.

At the moment, the Kub UAV is used by the Russian military in the NVO zone along with another brainchild of ZALA AERO - the Lancet kamikaze drone.

Unlike the Cube, which is designed as a "flying wing," the Lancet is designed with a double-x aerodynamic design, which allows the drone to dive at very high speeds while maintaining its payload.

Like the Cube, The Lancet was first unveiled to the public in 2019. In the materials of Kalashnikov, it was then noted that this UAV can hit targets within a radius of up to 40 km with a payload mass of 3 kg.

The Lancet is powered by an electric motor. According to the developers, this choice made the device lighter. In addition, electric motors make less noise than internal combustion engines, which makes them less noticeable.

  • The Lancet
  • RIA Novosti
  • © Mikhail Voskresensky

At least two versions of the Lancet are known to exist. As noted in ZALA AERO, the difference between them is in the size of the warhead and the range of use. In addition, work is underway to create another modification of the Lancet, known as the Product-53. It is assumed that the new drone can be used as part of group strikes against the enemy.

The high efficiency of the Lancets and Cubes on the field was noted in August this year by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"Both the Kub and the Lancet have shown themselves to be very effective: firstly, the blow is powerful, any equipment, including foreign-made equipment, not only burns, but also explodes ammunition. The manufacturers promised me that they would increase the amount of production. They are coping with this promise, but we need to increase it even more," the head of state said at a meeting with the head of Rostec, Sergei Chemezov.

"The enemy confuses the Lancet with birds"

According to analysts, at the moment, judging by the reports of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation and media materials, the Lancets are used more often in the NWO zone than the Kuba. Vyacheslav Pshikhopov, Director of the Research Institute of Robotics and Control Processes of the Southern Federal University, believes that this may be due to the fact that the aerodynamic scheme of the Lancet turned out to be more in demand for a number of tasks that the Russian Armed Forces face in the NWO zone.

"The Lancets have a completely different aerodynamic scheme. The "Cube" is a monowing, while the "Lancets" have X-shaped tails on the front and rear. Perhaps it is in the aerodynamics that the advantage of the Lancets lies," the expert said in a conversation with RT.

According to Yuri Knutov, the X-shaped tail, among other things, simplifies the transportation of Lancets.

"The wings can be folded if necessary. So the Lancet is a fairly compact drone. In addition, on radar screens, the enemy sometimes confuses the Lancet with birds due to the highly maneuverable characteristics of this drone," the specialist said.

  • Scalpel
  • © Press Service of KB Vostok

Yuriy Knutov also added that the range and combat power of the Lancets are constantly increasing, which allows them to conduct combat operations, including at the airfields of Ukrainian aviation in the near rear of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

"To date, the Lancet has outperformed all of our other drones," the analyst says.

At the same time, Yuri Knutov believes that the Lancets may soon have a cheaper competitor, since the troops have recently begun to receive the Scalpel drone from the Ryazan Vostok Design Bureau. This system uses the same aerodynamic scheme as the Lancet.

"Our Scalpel drone is already in the troops. This is in many ways an analogue of the Lancet, but cheaper. Now tests are underway in combat conditions. They will show whether the Scalpels will be more effective than the Lancets," Yuri Knutov summed up.