Servicemen of the 1021st Anti-Aircraft Missile and Artillery Brigade have shown how they used the Ukrainian-made Bars jet drone to intercept a Russian cruise missile, the Geran-5. The unit published the corresponding video on Facebook.
The footage shows the Bars being detonated at a considerable distance from the Geran. At the same time, according to the 1021st Brigade, the target was successfully hit. They did not specify where or when the operation took place.
As a reminder, Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara spoke about other combat successes of the Bars at a meeting with journalists on 10 October.
“One unit, during combat use with five interceptors (Bars), destroyed five aerial targets. That is, 100% effectiveness. This experience is now being studied and scaled up, with additional specialists and units being brought in,” the minister said.
The Bars interceptor drones became known after a statement by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on 4 October.
“These are long-range drones that are almost missiles. And right now they are showing around a 30% shoot-down rate. But everything is increasing. We are grateful to Germany. We will receive 2,000 Bars, which we are producing together,” the President noted.
It is worth noting that in Germany, in September, a joint venture to produce the Ukrainian drone-missile Bars began operating.
According to the missile’s developers, all manufactured products are directed towards carrying out combat missions. They say the drones are used for strikes on oil refineries, power stations and substations. In addition, the Bars are used in special missions about which little has so far been reported publicly.
The developers said that work on the Bars began in 2023. It was designed as a modular platform, allowing it to be used for different missions. They say that from the first basic prototype to the current version, the drone has undergone more than 40 upgrades and iterations. According to the manufacturer, the drone has a range of up to 1,000 km, a speed of more than 700 km/h, and can carry a warhead of up to 60 kg.
The developers note that among the Bars variants is a Middle Strike modification, equipped with a camera and a control system. According to the manufacturer, such drones were used by special units of the Defence Forces to carry out special missions. In particular, this refers to operations in the waters of the Black and Azov Seas, in Crimea and in other temporarily occupied territories.
There is also a Deep Strike version, which flies to pre-set coordinates and is capable of covering a distance of up to 1,000 kilometres from Ukraine’s border.