Ukrainian Long-Range Drones Strike Cheboksary Plant Producing Jam-Resistant Kometa Antennas for Shahed Drones

Ukrainian long-range drones struck the VNIIR-Progress defense plant in the Russian city of Cheboksary, a key producer of Kometa satellite navigation antennas for Shahed-type drones and missiles, according to Militarnyi on November 26.

The target in the capital of Russia’s Chuvash Republic is identified as part of the VNIIR group and is described as a manufacturer of adaptive Kometa antenna arrays used in Shahed-type attack drones, cruise and ballistic missiles, and guided aerial bombs that Russia employs against Ukraine, including civilian infrastructure.

Footage from the area showed multiple impacts and a large fire at the site, with flames and debris rising high above the industrial complex, indicating significant damage to the enterprise’s facilities.

The Cheboksary facility had already been targeted earlier in the war, with Ukrainian drones previously reported to have struck production sites linked to Kometa components, indicating a sustained campaign against Russia’s defense-industrial infrastructure involved in manufacturing these systems.

Militarnyi also added that Ukrainian defense sources view Kometa systems as jam-resistant satellite navigation antennas installed on a wide range of Russian long-range weapons to reduce the effectiveness of Ukrainian electronic warfare and improve guidance accuracy.

By hitting the plant that manufactures these antennas deep inside Russian territory, the latest drone strike was presented as part of a broader effort to degrade the supply of critical navigation components for Shahed-type drones, missiles, and glide bombs used in attacks across Ukraine.

Earlier, it was reported that Ukrainian drones struck the VNIIR‑Progress plant in Cheboksary—a facility producing components for missiles and drones including “Kometa‑type” satellite‑navigation modules used in weapons such as Iskander missile, Kalibr missile, and Shahed‑type UAVs.

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