**Russia’s Unusual Attack: The Modified Dan-M Drone**
In a surprising move, Russia has modified a target drone, the Dan-M, to be used as a one-way attack UAV. This unusual tactic has been observed in Crimea, where Russian forces launched three modified Dan-Ms at Ukraine.
The Dan-M is a 350-kg jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle designed for air-defense training in the early 1990s. Launched from the ground or air, it can fly at very low altitude and high subsonic speed for up to 40 minutes. The modifications made by Russia include repainting the drones from their normal bright red color to a more subtle one and adding a warhead.
According to drone expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, the Dan-Ms mimic the flight characteristics of the US-made Tomahawk cruise missile. This means that Russian gun and missile crews can prepare for the real thing – shooting down actual Tomahawks – in case of a future conflict with the United States or other countries.
It’s unclear whether the modified Dan-Ms struck their targets, as Beskrestnov stated that he cannot report on the fate of this group of attack UAVs due to information security reasons. However, it’s worth noting that Russia has been intensifying its air raids on Ukraine, with over 350 missiles and drones being launched in two major raids earlier this year.
**Converting Target Drones into Cruise Missiles**
The idea of converting target drones into cruise missiles is not new. In fact, the Ukrainians have performed similar modifications on their Tupolev Tu-141/143 reconnaissance drones, swapping out cameras for warheads and firing them at targets in Russia’s border oblasts.
This expedient was used by Ukraine during its wider war with Russia, when they were desperate for deep-strike munitions. However, with the development of purpose-made long-range strike drones, this tactic is no longer necessary.
**Why Does Russia Need to Arm Its Dan-Ms?**
It’s unclear why Russia needs to arm its Dan-Ms, but one possibility is that they have a large number of these UAVs available. Another theory is that Russian air-defense troops get plenty of practice shooting at actual Ukrainian missiles and drones, making the modified Dan-Ms redundant.
However, the most obvious explanation – that Russia is running low on purpose-designed deep-strike munitions – seems unlikely. In fact, the Russian strike arsenal is expanding as they find ways around foreign sanctions and ramp up production of high-tech components.
**Adding to the Terror Campaign**
The addition of modified Dan-M drones to the Russian arsenal only slightly expands the terror campaign against Ukraine. However, for Russia, every weapon they can fire at Ukrainian cities is a weapon well-spent. The intensifying raids on Ukraine are part of a cognitive warfare effort to weaken Ukrainian resolve and undermine Western support.
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