Ukraine Tests Upgraded Hornet Drone by Destroying Russian Su-24M Deep in Crimea

Ukrainian special operations forces destroyed a Russian Su-24M bomber at the Saky military airfield in occupied Crimea just as the aircraft was preparing for another combat mission against Ukraine.

Oleksandr Pivnenko, commander of Ukraine’s National Guard, announced the strike on July 16 and released footage showing the operation by the Omega Special Purpose Center.

After identifying the aircraft and carefully planning the mission, Omega operators attacked it with two strike drones.

“The first UAV struck the nose of the Su-24M,” Pivnenko said, while the second hit the area around its fuel tanks, ultimately destroying the aircraft.

The mission took approximately three weeks to prepare and was coordinated with Ukraine’s Air Force and Security Service, according to Vitalii Kravchuk, commander of a separate diving unit within the Omega center.

Before launching the strike, Ukrainian personnel analyzed the target, confirmed that the aircraft was real rather than a decoy, mapped the drone’s flight route, and prepared backup options in case the original plan failed.

“This was a clearly planned operation,” Kravchuk said, crediting detailed staff work and precise execution for the result.

The operation also served as a test of an upgraded Hornet unmanned system modified by the unit’s technical specialists. It was the first time the detachment had used a fixed-wing drone of this type at such a distance.

The Russian airfield was protected by mobile fire teams and electronic warfare systems capable of disrupting or destroying Ukrainian drones. However, carefully selected routes and the element of surprise allowed the aircraft to reach its target.

“They did not expect that such systems could fly that far,” Kravchuk said.

He added that the strike could force Russia to move combat aircraft increasingly farther from occupied Crimea.

“There will be no safe place for them there,” he said.

The Ukrainian strike system reportedly cost approximately $10,000 to $11,000, while the destroyed Su-24M was worth millions of dollars.

Previously, Ukraine’s Air Force confirmed that Ukrainian forces shot down a Russian aircraft, a Russian Su-35 fighter jet, with an estimated cost of up to $85 million.

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