Mariupol saw an Azov Brigade Hornet strike mission on May 8, with the drone flown over the city’s outskirts more than 100 km from Ukrainian positions.
The US-made kamikaze drone uses partial AI guidance once inside occupied territory, helping it keep tracking and hit trucks or armored vehicles even under Russian jamming.
Russian military bloggers said the nearly silent $6,000 drone has seriously disrupted logistics, with one analysis citing a success rate above 80% and nine of 13 posted strikes occurring more than 80 km behind the front.
The Hornet is filling what analysts call an 'intermediate depth' gap between roughly 30 km FPV-drone reach and much longer-range missile strikes, putting hubs like Mariupol’s road network under new pressure.
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