The GARA drone is an example of a Ukrainian drone capable of flying for dozens of miles. Equipped with some AI systems, it's a multifunctional platform.
Dmytro Smolienko/Ukrinform/NurPhoto via Getty Image
Three thousand feet above the fields of Zaporizhzhia, a recon drone watches over a deserted village. Its target: a trio of houses surrounded by trees, tucked into a corner of the settlement.All looks quiet until a winged drone flashes into view, skimming over the grass. Built like a small plane, it races toward the largest house, striking the roofline. The explosion is instant. Tiles and debris burst above the trees, and within a second, the upper floor is torn open, smoke and dust pouring from the exposed rafters."This was a house where Russian FPV drone pilots lived," said Spring, a drone pilot with the Ukrainian National Guard's Typhoon unit. Business Insider reviewed footage of a mid-range drone strike from mid-2025, which she said was her first successful strike.Spring, identified only by her call sign for security purposes, flies a newer type of winged drone that enables Ukraine to consistently strike Russia's rear areas — a capability previously only provided by Western artillery and munitions, such as the M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System.Mid-range HIMARS strikes were key to undermining Russia's attack style early in the war, but Russia was able to curb that threat after the first year, analysts told Business Insider. Now, they said, the new drones are bringing that strike effect back in a way Western arms have not been able to do at scale.
