On the night of 8 November, Ukrainian soldiers shot down a Russian reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) "Skat 350M" or "Stingray" worth $400,000. Footage of the strike was released on the brigade's channel on 10 November, reported the 3rd Separate Heavy Mechanized "Iron" Brigade. 

"Another celestial episode, at the 'Iron Birds'. The interceptor batteries of the anti-aircraft missile-artillery division destroyed a Russian UAV," the Ukrainian warriors say.

What is the SKAT350M? 

The Skat 350M is designed for aerial surveillance and target search in optical and infrared bands. It is the result of a comprehensive modernization of the Supercam 350 UAV, Militarnyi reported. 

At the "Kalashnikov" enterprise, the platform was given improved aerodynamic properties, and the ground control system was updated with new wing and control surface designs.

In 2024, the occupiers claimed that they used the reconnaissance capabilities of the SKAT 350M to guide S-400 missiles against Ukrainian rocket systems, as well as to guide Lancet loitering munitions.

The Skat 350M is an expensive and comprehensive reconnaissance complex, so its destruction weakens Russia's capabilities to guide high-precision strikes and correct strikes.

No fortress of the Russian occupier is beyond reach. The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, also known as HUR, has reported its soldiers discovered the base of Russian invaders belonging to the most elite and secretive drone Rubikon center in Avdiivka in Donetsk Oblast. The city fell under Russian control in 2014.

The Rubikon unit specializes in the use of unmanned systems, including combat drones, during Russia’s genocidal war against Ukraine. It is considered one of the most effective and combat-ready structures of the Russian army.

How Rubikon hunts skies over Ukraine

The unit has a clear internal structure, with individual teams specializing in different tasks:

• countering night bombers
• combating Ukrainian reconnaissance drones
• using FPV and Molniya strike drones
• conducting electronic reconnaissance to locate Ukrainian UAVs and their operators.

Experts note that Rubikon’s distinctive feature is its advanced electronic reconnaissance capability, allowing it to effectively detect Ukrainian drones and their operators, according to Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 

Ukraine's HUR itself is also calling the unit one of the most capable structures of the Russian occupation forces, one on which the aggressor state spends significant resources.

The FP-2 drone turns Russian stronghold into smoking crater

Using precise coordinates of Russia's position, Ukrainian intelligence operators skillfully directed an FP-2 unmanned aerial vehicle, equipped with a 105-kilogram warhead, toward the Russian target amid dense urban terrain.

Structurally, the FP-2 is similar to its predecessor, the long-range FP-1, which Ukrainian forces have already used for strikes deep in Russian territory. However, the FP-2 has a shorter range of 200 kilometers, compared to 1,400 for the FP-1, but carries a much heavier warhead.

As a result of the strike, Ukrainian intelligence eliminated Russian officers and drone operators from the Rubikon unit who were inside the headquarters.