11 July 2026
To destroy the Russian Pion self-propelled artillery unit in the Kursk region, the Ukrainian military deployed a HIMARS system along with Hornet and HX-2 strike drones.
The Kursk military group reported that the artillery unit had been detected by reconnaissance troops.
It was this very Pion self-propelled gun that had recently been launching intense strikes on Sumy and the Sumy region, firing from deep within Russian territory.
The occupiers attempted to protect the equipment, so they fired from the maximum possible distance—about 48 kilometers from the line of fire.
A single 203-mm shell from this system weighs about 110 kg.
First, HX-2 drones made by the German company Helsing struck the self-propelled artillery position.
The HX-2 drone. Source: Helsing
This kamikaze drone has a flight range of up to 100 km and is equipped with a warhead weighing several kilograms.
After that, American Hornet drones, which carry a warhead weighing up to 4.5 kg, were used against the self-propelled artillery.
The flight range of this drone is estimated at 130–145 km, but its use has already been recorded at depths of up to 160 km from the front line.
The Hornet kamikaze drone. May 2026. Photo credits: Kammen Taylor
To ensure the target’s destruction, the task force command also requested a strike by the American HIMARS rocket system.
The range of standard GMLRS guided rockets for HIMARS is approximately 70–80 km.
HIMARS strikes against Pion self-propelled artillery systems in the Kursk region. July 2026. A frame from a video by the Kursk military group
Back in June, it became known that soldiers of the 8th Corps of the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Airborne Assault Troops had been equipped with HIMARS.