Ukraine appears to have developed a new jet-powered exploding drone that could strike deep into Russia.
Footage of the unmanned aerial vehicle was first posted by the Ukrainian drone developer Max Glushak on Facebook and reported by military websites, including Militarnyi.
The video shows a missile-shaped drone with smaller wings at the front and larger ones at the back. It appears to use a trolley-launching system similar to Ukraine's Beaver drones.
But it's unclear whether the new model is a prototype or intended for wider production. Business Insider couldn't independently verify the footage and has contacted Glushak and Ukraine's defense ministry for comment.
It wouldn't be the first jet-powered drone Ukraine has produced amid an intensifying race with Russia to create ever faster and more devastating UAVs.
The so-called "kamikaze" drones are designed to fly for long distances and are fitted with explosives that can reach deep behind enemy lines.
Ukrainian drones have reached as far as St. Petersburg, 550 miles from Ukraine, as Kyiv steps up its attacks on Russian infrastructure.
Models fitted with jet engines are potential game changers, experts say, with their speed making them much harder to shoot down by air defenses.
James Patton Rogers, a drone expert and Executive Director of the Cornell Tech Policy Institute, told BI that Ukraine had taken a "significant step with the advancement of its new jet-powered 'suicide drone'" but added that Russia might still have the upper hand.
Russia has launched waves of attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, mainly using Iranian Shahed drones. In September, Iran released a video showing a new jet-powered model of its drones — the Shahed 238 —being tested.
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The Drive reported that Russia might already have deployed the model against Ukraine.
Rogers said though Ukraine seemed to be on the path to deploying its own jet-powered drones, its capacity to produce them lagged behind Russia's ability to obtain them.
"Not only does Russia have the potential to acquire these drones in greater numbers, but the systems themselves reportedly have variants with in-built autonomous elements and radar-seeking technology," he said.
Rogers said Ukraine's overstretched manufacturing sector might struggle to produce enough jet-powered drones, which are more expensive and difficult to build. And their effectiveness remains unproven.
"It remains unclear how far these drones can fly, what sensor and explosive payload they will be equipped with, and what measures are in place to help them evade Russian air defense," Rogers said.
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