Tomahawk for strikes in Kiev: how the training target turned into a Dan-M Armed Forces Fight

How will the "tribute-m" of the Russian Federation develop and does Moscow have success in the continuation of the asymmetric war? With the help of Dan-M drone, the Russians deplete the already limited reserves of Ukrainian missiles, opening the way to ruthless attacks by Russia. In the context of the escalation of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the Russian drone "Dan-M" has become a key factor in the modern unmanned war.

Originally created as a high-speed air target for air defense training, this jet UAV was quite inventively re-profiled into a shock drone Kamikadze. Focus has translated the article "Russian drone Dan-M: from educational target to miraculous weapons in the war in Ukraine", which was written by National Security Analyst, Brandon J. Weikhert for National Security.

The article refers to how the Russians turned a training target into a combat drone and about the rapid adaptation of the Russian Federation to the challenges of war. By simulating modern winged rockets of the American Tomahawk, "Tan-M" demonstrates the adaptation of Russia's strategy in the face of resource shortages. It was first used in hostilities in May 2025, this drone was already used for bombing of major Ukrainian cities, changing the dynamics of the use of shock UAVs in the war.

Dan-M drone leads its history from Soviet technologies, and its modern versions have released the Russian CB "Sokol" in about 2020. First, it was used as a training tool for imitating input threats to anti -aircraft systems, allowing you to train economically without ammunition. The compact sizes of drones - about one tenth of the American tomahawk [about 6 m - focus] - perfect for this role.

Dan-M processing in offensive weapons covers simple but effective modifications: repainting a bright red corps to ensure invisibility and add a warhead with a stroke system. The main characteristics of "Dan-M" include a turbouoable engine that develops speeds up to 750 km/h [Tomahawk speed is about 880 km/h-focus] and a height of about 9 km. The flight duration is about 25-40 minutes.

Innovative methods of launch-for example, dumping from Mi-8 screws at high altitude-contribute to increasing the range of flight, helping the drone get into the territory of Ukraine. During the first combat use, Dan-M struck Odessa from Crimea. Until July 31, 2025, he also participated in a massacre in Kiev, becoming part of a record wave of 550 drones, from which Ukraine suffered early this month.

This spike coincides with the increase in drones in Russia, which can reach four million units this year! Acting at speeds and heights, which often exceed 4. 8 km, which is higher than the radius of portable anti-aircraft missile systems (MSrk), "Dan-M" forces Ukraine to use such high-quality remedies such as Nasams or Iris-T, thus depleting the limited and expensive systems. Russian rockets, not cheap disposable drones.

In fact, the Russians turned "tribute-m" into an inexpensive means of depleting limited reserves of Ukrainian missiles, which cleanses the path for complex Russian attacks. This tactic resonates with the early conversions of Soviet Riven drones in 2022, demonstrating Russia's ingenuity in the re -profiling of old technologies for the task of striking in confrontation with more complex and more expensive NATO platforms. Of course, there are disadvantages in Dan-M, like every type of weapon.

The drone lacks unnoticed, and its relatively short flight range - if you do not use helicopter starting - limits the task of blows into the depths of the territory. In swarm attacks, similar to that that happened on July 4 this year, it remains quite threatening but not invincible; On May 29, 2025, "Dan-M" was knocked over the Black Sea with the help of a mobile complex with R-73 missiles of the Main Intelligence Management (GUR) of Ukraine.

To all those who argued that the Russian doctrine of the asymmetric war-the so-called "Gerasimov Doctrine"-Dead, Dan-M drone proves that Moscow still adheres to its concept of asymmetric war. Indeed, even this platform demonstrates the effectiveness of Russian asymmetric warfare. With the development of drones swarms with Dan-M, the Dan-M is the impetus to move to economically accessible and large-scale UAVs.

In the Russian-Ukrainian war, victory will be determined by innovations and speed-especially if these speeds and innovations are ahead of the counter-measures developed by the opposing side. So far, Russian achievements in the field of unmanned technologies and concepts of asymmetric war are ahead of Ukraine's defensive capabilities. It is unknown whether the situation in 2025 or 2026 will change. Brandon J.