Ukraine's Air Force reveals share of jet-powered Shaheds in Russian attacks
Photo: Russian jet-powered Shahed drone (Getty Images)
Jet-powered Shahed drones are difficult to intercept. As a result, Russia is increasingly relying on this type of weapon, according to Yurii Ihnat, head of the Communications Directorate of the Ukrainian Air Force Command, in a comment to Business Insider.
Jet-powered Shaheds against Ukraine
According to Ihnat, jet-powered Shahed drones may now account for up to two-thirds of all drones launched against Ukraine.
The outlet notes that this is the highest publicly disclosed estimate of the share of jet-powered drones used in Russian attacks.
Previously, experts said that jet-powered drones made up 20% of all launched Shahed drones.
Former Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces Oleksandr Syrskyi said that the aggressor state plans to increase the share of jet-powered drones to 50%.
Why jet-powered drones
MP Yehor Cherniev said that Ukraine can intercept more than 90% of Russian cruise missiles and Geran-2 drones.
As a result, Russia has begun relying on jet-powered UAVs and ballistic missiles, which are much more difficult for Ukraine to counter.
Russia is also expanding infrastructure at its air bases to support the launch of jet-powered drones. This includes the use of long rails that accelerate the drone before its engine is activated.
How to counter them
Against this backdrop, Ukrainian manufacturers are developing a new class of interceptor drones with higher speeds to counter jet-powered Shahed drones.
One such system is the P1-SUN Jetkiller, developed by Ukrainian company SkyFall. The high-speed interceptor is designed to effectively destroy Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
RBC-Ukraine previously reported that the Kremlin has focused on expanding production of jet-powered drones. This has been a direct response to Ukraine's rapid development of its own interceptor drones.
On July 28, Russia attacked Kharkiv with a jet-powered Shahed-type drone. The drone struck a five-story residential building, causing a fire.
