Near Bakhmut, Three $500 Ukrainian Drones Destroy Advanced Russian T-90 Tank

The cost-benefit ratio is notable, to say nothing of how vulnerable Russian tanks are to well-designed and operated attack drones. JL 

Sophia Ankel reports in Business Insider:

Three $500 Ukrainian hobby drones chased a $4.5 million Russian T-90 tank before blowing it up. The attack involved three cheap First Person View (FPV) hobby drones which had explosives strapped to them. The operation was conducted by the country's 3rd Assault Brigade in Bakhmut. Ukrainian soldiers strike the tank, which appears to be hiding behind trees, two times. "Guys, the tank is escaping. The tank is escaping," one of the men says in the video before a third drone strikes the tank, completely wiping it out.

A video released by Ukraine's Ministry of Defense appears to show three $500 Ukrainian hobby drones chasing a $4.5 million Russian T-90 tank before blowing it up. 

Ukraine's Ministry of Defense, which shared the footage of the incident on X, formerly known as Twitter, said the operation was conducted by the country's 3rd Assault Brigade in the eastern city of Bakhmut.

The attack involved three First Person View (FPV) drones, which had explosives strapped to them, the ministry said.

FPVs are cheap hobby drones that Ukraine is re-inventing to take out Russian equipment. They cost around $500 each, the ministry said.

 

The one-minute-long footage shows two Ukrainian soldiers sitting in a room controlling the drones from afar. They strike the tank, which appears to be hiding behind trees, two times with the drones, prompting cheers. 

But the tank, which appears to be on fire, still attempts a getaway as it races away from its original position. 

"Guys, the tank is escaping. The tank is escaping," one of the men says in the video before a third drone strikes the tank, completely wiping it out.

 

Ukraine is relying heavily on amateur drones that can be armed with a makeshift warhead to severely damage expensive tanks and weapon systems worth millions of dollars.

Russia has suffered huge equipment losses during its invasion of Ukraine, with visually documented losses of over 2300 tanks, per open-source tracking website Oryx.