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Ukrainian FPV Drone Hunts Down and Destroys Camouflaged Russian Bomber Drone, Video
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
A Ukrainian FPV drone has identified and destroyed a Russian heavy bomb-carrying unmanned aircraft that was concealed under a camouflage net, according to the Spalakh unit of Ukraine’s 28th Separate Mechanised Brigade on November 17.
The unit stated that this marks the first confirmed destruction of a Russian drone of this category.
Spalakh reported that the Russian platform resembled Ukraine’s Vampire hexacopter—an established Ukrainian drone-bomber design used since 2022 for precision strikes against Russian vehicles and fortifications.
According to the unit, the Russian system carried two suspended 82-mm mortar rounds and was positioned at a concealed launch site.
The Ukrainian-made Vampire, which the Russian system visually mirrored, is a six-rotor drone capable of lifting up to 20 kilograms of payload, with the entire platform weighing more than 30 kilograms. In Ukraine, Vampire systems are often equipped with Starlink terminals to maintain stable communication and flight control.
Their operating altitude varies depending on terrain and battlefield conditions, with unnecessary altitude changes avoided to reduce battery consumption and maintain stability.
According to Spalakh, it is possible that the destroyed drone was a captured Ukrainian Vampire that Russian forces had reconfigured with their own antenna. Russian state media previously released footage in 2024 showing workshops where captured Ukrainian heavy drones were being modified, though such adaptation efforts did not become widespread.
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Russia has also attempted to develop domestic equivalents. In 2024, Russian designers introduced the MiS-35 hexacopter, a drone marketed as combining features of FPV systems, small quadcopters, and heavy bomb-drop platforms.
According to the manufacturer, the MiS-35 can travel 9.5 kilometers with a 4.5-kilogram payload and is equipped with the “Povodyr” navigation assist function intended to guide the drone back toward its launch point even under electronic warfare interference.
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