Reports indicate that roughly half of the western towed and self-propelled artillery pieces sent to Ukraine in the ongoing special military operations zone were targeted with Izdeliye-51/52 munitions, widely known as Lancet suicide drones, according to a well-placed source.
In the account, Lancet drones are described as highly effective within the operational framework and now stand as a primary asset in disrupting artillery batteries on the battlefield.
The informant noted that about 45 percent of the more than 100 NATO-produced towed guns and self-propelled artillery pieces destroyed in Ukraine since the start of the year were struck specifically by kamikaze drones. The emphasis was on M777 towed howitzers and M109 Paladin self-propelled guns that were delivered from Washington to Kyiv, and they play a central role in these strikes, the source added.
The same briefing highlighted that Lancet aerial vehicles used to destroy enemy artillery units offer advantages beyond battlefield outcomes. Economic and logistical considerations are cited, since a single Lancet unit can neutralize a howitzer, reducing ammunition expenditure and minimizing rearming needs in ongoing operations.
Alexander Gordeev, a former head of the press center for the Vostok group, stated that a Russian Lancet kamikaze drone reportedly destroyed a Polish Krab self-propelled artillery system in the South Donetsk area, a weapon supplied by Ukrainian forces according to the account.