Lyutyi

Ukraine’s primary strategic one-way attack drone — a 2,000 km-range, AI-guided pusher-prop system that has devastated Russian oil refineries and military plants deep inside Russia.

Overview

The Lyutyi (Ukrainian for “fierce” or “furious”), officially designated An-196 Lyutyi, is a long-range, fixed-wing, one-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Ukraine’s state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom in partnership with the Antonov design bureau. Conceived in late 2022 as a direct response to Russia’s campaign of Iranian Shahed-136 strikes, the Lyutyi has become the cornerstone of Ukraine’s “oil war” strategy, accounting for up to 80% of successful deep strikes on Russian targets in 2024, according to reporting by Re:Russia. It is operated by the 14th Regiment of Unmanned Aerial Systems and delivers conventional high-explosive warheads against refineries, fuel depots, air bases, and military-industrial plants at ranges that have progressively expanded from 1,000 km to beyond 1,700 km.

Development

Design work began in October 2022 at Antonov ASTC and Ukroboronprom, building on Ukraine’s earlier experience with Turkish Bayraktar TB2 operations and indigenous UAV programs, as noted by DW. The project moved from concept to public disclosure by November 2022. By late 2023 the system had been fielded to the newly formed 14th Regiment, and the first confirmed combat strikes occurred in January 2024 against oil depots in the St. Petersburg area. An April 2024 CNN report (cited in the Wikipedia entry) confirmed that the drone used AI guidance for terminal attack, marking a major technical leap for Ukraine’s indigenous strike capability. A subsequent wave of upgrades — including a larger warhead and extended range — was publicly confirmed in November 2024 after a strike on the Saratov refinery, as reported by United24 Media.

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