Strike on "VNIIR-Progress" will leave Russian missiles and "Shaheds" without navigation
Kyiv • UNN
The AFU struck the VNIIR-Progress plant, which produces antennas for Russian missiles and drones. This could critically complicate the navigation of "Shaheds" and guided aerial bombs.
The Defense Forces of Ukraine struck the Russian enterprise JSC "VNIIR-Progress," which is critically important for the production of modern Russian weapons. This was reported by Defense Express, according to UNN.
Details
According to the publication, on the night of May 5, units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, specifically the 19th Missile Brigade, struck the enterprise located more than 900 km from the Ukrainian border. FP-5 "Flamingo" cruise missiles were used for the attack, and in the morning, the facility was further attacked by long-range drones.
The facility in question is a plant that is part of the "ABS Electro" association and specializes in the production of electronics and radio-electronic systems.
The plant produces critical components for "Shaheds," KABs, and missiles
The most important products of the enterprise are the "Kometa-M" interference-resistant satellite navigation antennas. These specific components provide navigation for Russian strike weapons.
They are used in "Shahed" type drones, guided aerial bombs (KABs), reconnaissance UAVs, as well as in Kh-101 cruise missiles and Iskander ballistic missiles.
With the development of Ukrainian electronic warfare (EW) capabilities, Russian developers were forced to make these antennas more complex—the number of elements in modern versions has increased from 4 to 16.
Loss of production could create serious problems for the Russian Federation
As Defense Express notes, if the production of "Kometa-M" stops, Russia risks losing a critical element for guiding its long-range strike weapons.
At the same time, theoretically, the Russian Federation could switch to Chinese analogues of the antennas, but this would require time and could cause delays in production.
Currently, there is no precise data on the level of damage to the enterprise. It is likely that the plant will continue to operate, but disruptions or delays in the production of military products may occur.