Aircraft & UAVs

AN-196 Liutyi

Also known as
  • AN-196
  • An-196 Liutyi
  • AN-196 Lyutyi
  • Antonov An-196
  • Liutyi
  • Lyutyi
  • Liutiy
  • Lyutii

The AN-196 Liutyi is a Ukrainian long-range one-way attack UAV first disclosed by Ukroboronprom in October 2022 as a domestic answer to Shahed-style attacks. Open sources describe a pusher-propeller aircraft developed with Antonov and Ukrainian defense-industry support, with reported range around 1,000-2,000 km and warhead reporting that spans early 50 kg examples and later 75 kg upgrades.

AN-196 Liutyi, Long-range one-way attack UAV, Aircraft & UAVs
Image source: Antonov An-196 Liutyi in Kouvola

Role in Conflicts

Documented Strike Pattern

Liutyi reporting is strongest when tied to named Ukrainian strikes or identified launch preparation. The public record points to a widening target set from occupied Crimea to energy and defense-industry targets deep inside Russia.

PeriodReported target setCatalog relevance
August 2023126th Coastal Defense Brigade base at Perevalne, CrimeaEarly direct-use reporting tied Liutyi to Ukrainian special-operations strikes in occupied Crimea.
2024-2025Saratov and Orsk refinery targets; Izhevsk industrial/military target reportingThe system became associated with Ukraine's long-range pressure campaign against Russian fuel, industrial, and military infrastructure.
2026GUR preparation for launches against targets inside RussiaCurrent reporting describes Liutyi as a workhorse long-range kamikaze drone in Ukraine's military-intelligence strike campaign.

Sources: Drones that hit Russian Izhevsk launched in an unusual way - Ukraine's new tactic explained; Ukrainian AN-196 Liutyi Drone Receives Major Upgrade; Lyutyi Drones Smash Russian Orsk Refinery 1,500 km From Ukraine; Business Insider report on Ukraine's Liutyi deep-strike campaign.

Profile / Specs

Profile

Origin
Ukraine
Type
Long-range one-way attack UAV
Service note
Developed during the full-scale 2014 Russia-Ukraine War; publicly disclosed in 2022 and reported in operational use from 2023 onward
Designer
Antonov Design Bureau / Ukroboronprom
Designed
Developed in 2022; publicly disclosed on October 17, 2022
Unit cost
Reported around $200,000 per drone
Produced
First production batch reported in August 2023; serial production reported from 2023
Number built
Not publicly confirmed

Specifications

Role
Long-range one-way attack UAV for fixed targets
Range
Reported as more than 1,000 km in 2022 and about 2,000 km in later reporting
Warhead
Official 2022 disclosure cited a 75 kg goal; later reporting describes early 50 kg examples and 75 kg upgraded warheads
Dimensions
About 6.7 m wingspan and 4.4 m length
Takeoff weight
Approximately 250-300 kg
Airframe
Twin-boom, low-wing pusher-propeller design; fixed landing gear on baseline examples
Guidance
Reported satellite navigation, inertial navigation, and machine vision for terminal guidance
Launch method
Baseline ground/runway-style launch with a 2025 reported vehicle-roof launch adaptation after landing-gear removal
Variants

Open reporting treats Liutyi as a single Ukrainian long-range UAV family whose payload, range, and launch arrangements changed as serial production and operational tactics matured.

VariantConfigurationDesignation notes
2022 public strike-UAV concept1,000 km domestic attack UAV concept

Ukroboronprom publicly signaled work on a Ukrainian strike UAV with a 1,000 km range goal and a 75 kg warhead after Russia's Shahed attacks on Kyiv.

Sources: Ukrainska Pravda report on Ukroboronprom 1,000 km UAV disclosure, Ukroboronprom comment on Shahed-136 attack response

Early serial LiutyiFixed-gear one-way attack UAV

Later reporting describes early Liutyi examples with a 50 kg payload and runway-style launch before subsequent payload and range improvements.

Sources: Ukrainian AN-196 Liutyi Drone Receives Major Upgrade, Drones that hit Russian Izhevsk launched in an unusual way - Ukraine's new tactic explained

Upgraded long-range Liutyi75 kg / about 2,000 km deep-strike configuration

Ukrainian media and specialist reporting describe a heavier 75 kg warhead, longer range, and satellite/inertial navigation with machine-vision terminal guidance.

Sources: Ukrainian AN-196 Liutyi Drone Receives Major Upgrade, 24 Kanal report on Liutyi range growth and cost

Gearless vehicle-roof launch adaptationImprovised mobile-launch configuration

RBC-Ukraine reported a 2025 adaptation that removed the landing gear and launched the drone from a moving vehicle roof to reduce drag and simplify launch options.

Sources: Drones that hit Russian Izhevsk launched in an unusual way - Ukraine's new tactic explained

Timeline

AN-196 Liutyi Key Events

  1. Ukroboronprom discloses a 1,000 km strike drone concept

    Ukrainska Pravda reported Ukroboronprom's public hint that work was finishing on a Ukrainian strike UAV with a 1,000 km range goal and a 75 kg warhead, framed amid Russian Shahed-136 attacks on Kyiv.

    Sources: Ukrainska Pravda report on Ukroboronprom 1,000 km UAV disclosure, Ukroboronprom comment on Shahed-136 attack response

  2. First production batch is used in Crimea

    RBC-Ukraine reported that the first production batch was ready in August 2023 and that Ukraine's Special Operations Forces used Liutyi drones on August 28 against the 126th Coastal Defense Brigade base in Perevalne, Crimea.

    Sources: Drones that hit Russian Izhevsk launched in an unusual way - Ukraine's new tactic explained

  3. A 75 kg warhead and Saratov strike are reported

    UNITED24 Media reported the Liutyi had been upgraded to a 75 kg warhead, up from 50 kg, and said the enhanced drone was used against the Saratov Oil Refinery at a range of more than 600 kilometers from the Ukrainian border.

    Sources: Ukrainian AN-196 Liutyi Drone Receives Major Upgrade

  4. RBC-Ukraine describes a vehicle-roof launch tactic

    RBC-Ukraine reported that engineers removed the fixed landing gear to reduce drag and radar visibility, and that the drone could be launched from the roof of a moving vehicle while attacking targets in Russia, including the Izhevsk strike.

    Sources: Drones that hit Russian Izhevsk launched in an unusual way - Ukraine's new tactic explained

  5. Business Insider reports GUR preparation of Liutyi deep strikes

    Business Insider reported from a Ukrainian military-intelligence drone site that GUR specialists prepared Liutyi long-range attack drones for launches against targets inside Russia, describing the system as a central tool in the expanded deep-strike campaign.

    Sources: Business Insider report on Ukraine's Liutyi deep-strike campaign

Design and Launch Evolution

Open reporting shows Liutyi evolving from a fixed-gear, 1,000 km concept into a heavier-payload deep-strike drone with longer reach and more flexible launch options.

ConfigurationDocumented featuresWhat changed
2022 disclosure1,000 km range goal and 75 kg warhead goal in Ukroboronprom-linked public reportingEstablished the domestic Shahed-response concept.
Early serial reporting50 kg payload, fixed landing gear, more than 1,000 km target rangeProvided the runway-launched baseline seen in early operational reporting.
2024-2025 upgrade75 kg warhead, about 2,000 km range, satellite and inertial navigation with machine visionImproved payload and reach for deeper strikes on Russian targets.
2025 launch adaptationLanding gear removal reduced drag and allowed launch from a moving vehicle roofOpened a more improvised launch profile for attacks inside Russia.
Media

AN-196 Liutyi Videos

AN-196 Liutyi Images

AN-196 Liutyi, Long-range one-way attack UAV, Aircraft & UAVs - view 1
Source: Stamp of Ukraine s2081.jpg
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Related News

Sources

Ukrainska Pravda report on Ukroboronprom 1,000 km UAV disclosurePublisher: Ukrainska Pravda | Note: Reports Ukroboronprom's October 2022 disclosure of a Ukrainian attack UAV with a 1,000 km range goal and 75 kg warhead. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukroboronprom comment on Shahed-136 attack responsePublisher: Ukroboronprom | Note: Official Ukroboronprom background for the October 2022 disclosure of a domestic long-range strike UAV effort after Shahed-136 attacks on Kyiv. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukraine successfully uses attack drone with range of 1000 kmPublisher: Ukrinform | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by reporting Ukroboronprom's statement that Ukraine successfully used its 1,000 km attack drone. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukrainian AN-196 Liutyi Drone Receives Major UpgradePublisher: UNITED24 Media | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by identifying a reported AN-196 Liutyi strike on the Saratov Oil Refinery with a 75 kg payload. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Drones that hit Russian Izhevsk launched in an unusual way - Ukraine's new tactic explainedPublisher: RBC-Ukraine | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context, the first production batch use in Crimea on August 28, 2023, and the 2025 vehicle-roof launch adaptation. | Accessed: 2026-06-3024 Kanal report on Liutyi range growth and costPublisher: 24 Kanal | Note: Supports design background, reported development by Antonov with Ukroboronprom, the range increase to 2,000 km, machine-vision guidance, and the reported $200,000 unit cost. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Lyutyi Drones Smash Russian Orsk Refinery 1,500 km From UkrainePublisher: Kyiv Post | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use of Liutyi drones in a Ukrainian long-range strike against Russian refinery infrastructure. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Ukraine boosts production of deep-strike kamikaze dronesPublisher: The Defence Blog | Note: Supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War direct-use context by describing AN-196 Liutyi strikes launched from Ukraine against Russian infrastructure and military targets. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Business Insider report on Ukraine's Liutyi deep-strike campaignPublisher: Business Insider | Note: Directly supports 2014 Russia-Ukraine War use by reporting GUR preparation of Liutyi drones for launches against targets inside Russia and describing payload and range claims. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Antonov An-196 Liutyi in KouvolaPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain image provenance for a Police of Finland photograph of AN-196 Liutyi wreckage. | Accessed: 2026-06-30Stamp of Ukraine s2081.jpgPublisher: Wikimedia Commons | Note: Public-domain postage stamp file showing the AN-196 Liutyi on Ukraine's 'Weapons of Victory. Made in UA' stamp sheet. | Accessed: 2026-06-30