H10 Poseidon MkII UAV and M982 Excalibur Take Out Russian Tanks: New Video footage shared on social media showed a Ukrainian H10 Poseidon MkII unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) being used to coordinate an artillery strike on a pair of Russian T-72B3 tanks in the Kherson Oblast.
What We Know
The minute-long clip, which showed the destruction of the main battle tanks (MBTs) was shared by the Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) social media account on Saturday – and it has already been seen more than half a million times.
It appears that the drone was able to provide the precise location of the tanks, which then allowed the Ukrainian forces to fire M982 Excalibur artillery shells on the target with deadly pinpoint accuracy.
Following the strikes, the tanks were left as burning hulks.
It is unclear if either of the T-72B3 tank crew survived the attack.
Mythic Weapons Indeed
The M982 Excalibur is a 155mm extended-range guided artillery shell that was developed as part of a collaborative effort between the United States Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and the United States Army Armament Research, Development and Engineering Center (ARDEC).
It is a GPS- and inertial-guided munition that is capable of being used in close support situations within 75 to 150 (250 to 490 feet) of friendly troops or even in situations where targets may be “prohibitively close” to civilians.
It relies on a jam-resistant internal GPS receiver to update the inertial navigation system, providing precision in-flight guidance and dramatically improving accuracy to less than two meters “miss distance” regardless of range.
However, each round costs a reported $68,000, which is why its use is limited. An undisclosed number has been provided to Ukrainian forces. Ukrainian troops have employed it against Russian tanks and other high-value targets.
It can be fired from the M777 155mm howitzer.
Drone Spotting
In the recent strike, the Ukrainian artillery crews received the information provided by the Poseidon H10 MkII drones, which may have been equipped with Israeli optics and thermal imaging cameras. Kyiv received nine of the drones in January.
Each drone has a range of up to 150 km (93 miles) and a ceiling altitude of 4,000 meters (13,100 feet). The Poseidon H10 MkII drones also have a cruising speed of 75 km/h (46 miles per hour). The H10 features a high-wing monocoque airframe with an electric motor and pusher propeller, as well as four stationary-mounted VTOL (vertical takeoff/landing) electric motors and propellers. This unique design is noted for having a significant advantage in flight safety, as VTOL propulsion is used not only for takeoff, landing, and hovering but also for in-flight emergency recovery in place of an emergency parachute.
The mid-range drones can be employed to aid in covert operations, and each UAV can be transported by SUV or by a pickup truck and prepared for operation in less than 10 minutes. The Poseidon H10 drones have an endurance of two hours, and a very low acoustic signature in flight, as well as an extremely small radar cross-section and no detectable thermal signature. It is likely that in the recent strike, the Russian tanks didn’t even know they were being targeted – at least until it was way too late.
#Ukraine: In #Kherson Oblast, the Ukrainian 406th Separate Artillery Brigade used a H10 Poseidon Mk II UAV and M982 Excalibur precision artillery strikes to locate and strike two Russian tanks, including a T-72B3. pic.twitter.com/GTVbU8HOKS
— ???????? Ukraine Weapons Tracker (@UAWeapons) March 4, 2023
MORE: Merkova: Israel Has A Super Tank
MORE: Watch This – Video Shows Ukraine Destroying One Of Russia’s Best ‘Big Guns’
MORE: Video: Watch Ukraine Kill Russia’s Powerhouse T-90M Tank
MORE: The End For Donald Trump Might Finally Have Arrived
Author Experience and Expertise:
A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
