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MiG Fighters, Tu-95 Bombers, Shahed Drones—Russian Arms Plants Come Under Drone Strikes
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Multiple Russian defense industry facilities were reportedly hit in a wave of drone strikes, including two major aircraft plants and several weapons manufacturers, according to the head of Ukraine’s Center for Countering Disinformation, Andrii Kovalenko, on July 11.
Kovalenko said a strike targeted the Lukhovitsy Aircraft Plant in the Moscow region, which manufactures and upgrades MiG-29 and MiG-31 fighter jets.
“The Lukhovitsy Aircraft Plant in the Moscow region came under attack,” Kovalenko reported.
He added that the facility also contributes to the development of next-generation combat aircraft, including Russia’s so-called “prospective frontline fighter” based on MiG platforms. Additionally, the plant is reportedly involved in upgrading Shahed-type drones—known in Russia as Geran UAVs.
Separately, debris from a drone reportedly fell on the grounds of the Beriev Aircraft Company in Taganrog, Rostov region, following what Russian officials claimed was an air defense interception.
“An unmanned aerial vehicle was neutralized by a mobile air defense group. Its fragments fell on the territory of the G.M. Beriev Aircraft Company,” wrote Taganrog Mayor Svitlana Kambulova.
She said there were no casualties, and emergency crews were working at the site. Russian authorities frequently use the term “falling debris” even when evidence suggests direct drone strikes on military targets.
The Beriev plant is a major aerospace facility specializing in amphibious aircraft and airborne early warning systems, including the A-50 radar aircraft.
It also services naval aviation aircraft and modernizes strategic bombers such as the Tu-95MSM. The company operates under Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation, part of the state defense conglomerate Rostec.
Meanwhile, additional drone strikes reportedly targeted defense industry facilities in Tula, a city with dense concentrations of Russia’s military-industrial complex.
According to Astra and eyewitness videos shared online, explosions were heard in the city’s Proletarsky district, home to at least three major defense enterprises.
These include:
KBP Instrument Design Bureau, which develops precision-guided weapons;
NPO Splav, a manufacturer of multiple launch rocket systems;
Shcheglovsky Val, a producer of air defense systems, infantry weapons, and guided munitions for Russia’s ground forces.
Tula Governor Dmitri Milyaev claimed that Russian air defenses had shot down 13 drones over the region, though he did not comment on potential damage.
Earlier, satellite imagery confirmed the destruction of multiple helicopters and a Pantsir-S1 air defense system at the Kirovske airfield in Russian-occupied Crimea, following a recent Ukrainian drone strike.
