Ukraine uses UJ-26 Beaver loitering ammunition to attack targets in Russia

A major fire occurred at an oil refinery in the city Tuapse, Southern Russia, on the night of January 25. The head of the Tuapse district, Sergei Boyko, said that the vacuum unit was on fire.

The cause of the fire was not announced officially. It was also reported that the fire at the refinery started after three Ukrainian Beaver kamikaze drones attempted to attack the facility. Russian air defences shot down all the UAVs, but the wreckage of one of them crashed on the vacuum column installation of the oil refinery.

First reports about the UJ-26 Beaver loitering ammunition emerged in May 2022. The tail-first configuration of the drones enables them to manoeuvre bypassing air defence coverage areas. The Beaver drone was developed by Ukrainian UkrJet company. The internal combustion engine is located in the rear part of the fuselage. Beaver's flight range amounts to 800-1000 kilometre; the vehicle may develop a speed up to 200 kilometres per hour. The 150-kilo drone can remain airborne for up to seven hours.

It was reported in July that the Armed Forces of Ukraine acquired 50 Beaver drones. The cost of one such vehicle amounts to as much as $108,000.

Supposedly, the Beaver drone carries the Soviet KZ-6 hollow cone charge. The Spanish Columba-type drone that Kyiv used to attack targets in Russia in November was equipped with a similar charge.

The KZ-6 charge weighs three kilograms. It contains up to 1.8 kilograms of TG-40 explosive. The KZ-6 charge can pierce through 210 millimetres of armour or up to 550 millimetres of reinforced concrete.

Russia uses air defence and electronic warfare systems to intercept UJ-26 Beaver loitering ammunition.