The increase in the number of Russian jet drones challenges Ukraine’s air defense system

The drone interception system displayed in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, and the Russian army’s new jet drone are testing the existing air defense capabilities of the Ukrainian army. (AFP)

[Compiled by Chen Chengliang/Comprehensive Report] Russia has recently used a large number of high-speed jet-powered drones to attack Ukraine. The number of launches in August is estimated to be 2,800, almost double the approximately 1,500 in July. Agence France-Presse reported on the 9th that the speed and flying height of these drones are higher than traditional models. Ukraine's low-cost air defense network, which could intercept more than 90% of traditional drones, dropped its interception rate to about 60% when faced with new models.

Agence France-Presse pointed out that the Russian army used only a few hundred jet drones in June, which increased to about 1,500 in July and further climbed to 2,800 in August. A spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force said that the destruction rate of traditional internal combustion engine and propeller drones exceeds 90%, but the destruction rate of jet drones is currently only about 60%. This type of drone uses a small jet engine and can fly at an altitude of up to 5 kilometers and at a speed of about 400 to 600 kilometers per hour, which can be up to three times that of earlier models.

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A recent analysis by the Ukrainian military media and consulting company "Defense Express" showed that the Russian military uses a large number of "Geran-4" (Geran-4) and "Geran-5" (Geran-5) jet-powered drones. The company pointed out that the flying altitude of these two types of weapons is higher than the effective interception range of some Ukrainian short-range air defense systems, and some of them even reach about 7 kilometers.

These weapons are also larger than the earlier "Shahed" series, about 6 meters long, with a wingspan of about 5.5 meters, and can carry up to 90 kilograms of explosives. Agence France-Presse quoted Ukrainian military analysts as saying that from an air defense perspective, the characteristics of this type of high-speed jet drone are closer to cruise missiles than to traditional low-altitude, slow-speed drones.

Flying higher and faster, Ukrainian army’s cheap air defense network is put to the test

This wave of attacks has also begun to affect daily life in Kyiv. Agence France-Presse pointed out that air raid sirens have been sounded up to ten times a day in the capital recently, business activities and schools have been disrupted, and subway services have been restricted. Recently, the headquarters of the State Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the historic center of Kiev was hit by a jet drone during the day.

In the face of new threats, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy has requested to accelerate the development of high-speed interception drones, and prototypes have now been put into testing. Sergiy Zgurets, the head of Ukraine's "Defense Express", told AFP that the Ukrainian army cannot only rely on faster interception of drones, but also needs to integrate aviation forces, surface-to-air weapons, electronic warfare, and attack launch and production facilities in Russia; he estimated that it may take up to 6 months to establish effective countermeasures capabilities.