Drones have become the biggest enemy of tanks on the Ukrainian battlefield. Recently, in the Russo-Ukrainian war, the first US-made M1A1 Abrams main battle tank of Kiev was destroyed by a Piranha-type FPV drone of the Moscow forces.
What Is This Russian UAV?
A representative of the company that manufactures the Piranha drones told the Russian state-run TASS that he was informed by relevant authorities in the Russian military that his company's drone was responsible for the destruction of the first Ukrainian Abrams tank.
“I got the tip from a customer who contacted the battalion commander that hit the tank. He said the drone that hit the vehicle was one of our Piranha. Then this information appeared in the media and on Telegram channels along with videos showing the Abrams on fire," the Russian said.
He added that Piranha drones have targeted other enemy armoured vehicles in the ongoing war. The drone's main role is to target Ukrainian positions and trenches. He explained that the Piranha is unique in the frequencies on which it operates, but did not provide further details.
"No one has transponders on this frequency. During electronic warfare tests, the Piranha proved to be the only drone that could not be suppressed," the spokesman stressed.
According to the defence website The EurAsian Times, the company that produces the Piranha drones appears to be offering two different unmanned aerial vehicles, the Piranha-10 and Piranha-7, on the market. The former demonstrates a maximum speed of 140 km/h, while the latter has a maximum speed of 125 km/h. In addition to these there is also a product called Piranha-10 with a Thermal Imaging Device, which is probably a version of the Piranha-10.
However, until now one cannot confirm with absolute certainty that indeed the Russian drone that destroyed the Ukrainian Abrams was of the Piranha type. There are many accounts online suggesting this but there has been no official confirmation.
All that the Russian Ministry of Defense reported is that on February 26 in the Avdiivka region of Donetsk, an American-made M1A1 Abrams main battle tank was destroyed. However, the Kremlin has not said anything about the Russian drone that is rumored to have hit it.
