by Russian air strikes in cities and cities in Ukraine quickly increase the intensity. Between the 1st and 20th June, Moscow started 3,681 Shahed drones and fake drones that serve to realize the Ukrainian air defense forces. A year ago, the average was around 600 per month.
In order to counteract these attacks, Ukraine is looking for unconventional solutions such as the use of Interceptor drones.
Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and the subsequent war, Moscow has not only increased the production of drones – it has also modernized it and changed the tactics.
Current drones can maneuver and fly at large heights, which is why they cannot be reached by the Ukrainian mobile air defect with machine guns.
“The Russian Federation has recently sent drones at an altitude of about 2 kilometers”said Yuriy Ermat, spokesman for the Ukrainian Air Force, to DW. “Therefore, it is becoming increasingly difficult for our mobile units to intercept Shahed drones”he added.
“If drones fly lower, you can see them and shoot them on them”he said. “First you recognize them acoustically, then visually and with the help of thermal imaging cameras and visual devices. Opening fire is only effective as soon as a drone flies at a height of up to 1 kilometer.”
Experts have expressed the alarm at Russia’s latest tactics. “Russia will bomb our whole country with Shahed drones. You have a significant way to produce production and will continue to do so. If we do not act immediately, our infrastructure, our production and our defense systems are destroyed”The military and communication expert Serhiy Beskrestnov warned on social media. In his view, Ukraine has to increase mass production of Interceptor drones and training pilots.
Ukraine needs various drones to accept Shaheds
On the front, the use of Interceptor drones is anything but new. The Ukrainian military has been using the first-person perspective or FPV drones that are equipped with cameras that offer the drone pilot real-time pictures for some time. These drones are used against various Russian drones, including surveillance and Kamikaze models.
To destroy Shahed drones that fly faster than many others, Ukraine needs special drones. “An Orlan, for example, flies at 100 to 140 kilometers per hour and Shahed drones can reach 200 to 300 kilometers per hour”said Serhii Sterneko, head of the St. General Community Foundation, which provides the Ukrainian military with FPV drones.
In such cases, drones with different characteristics were required. “There are even Ukrainian. Our troops have already shot Shaheds with such drones several times”said Sterneko.
Ukraine increases the production of Interceptor drones
According to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, his country focuses on the quick development of Interceptor drones to also defend cities in the hinterland.
“In particular, we are working on Interceptor drones to improve protection against Shaheds”said Zelenskyy on June 17 on the G7 summit in Canada and pointed out that Ukraine is working with partners to secure more extensive financing.
In the meantime, many Ukrainian manufacturers are already working on such drones. In particular, Wild Hornets, a non -profit organization that focuses on the production of drones for the Ukrainian armed forces, has repeatedly demonstrated his ability to intercept Shahed and Gerbera drones with its Sting interceptor drone.
At the same time, the German Startup Tytan Technologies tests its own catch -up drone with the Ukrainian military, and the company based in LVIV Besomar claims that his drone could wait up to two hours in the air for a destination.
Future drone pilots for air combat are being trained at the Kyivs Drronarium Academy. You use special simulators for the Ukrainian armed force, and every FPV drone pilot needs about a month to learn to control a drone at high speed.
“We form new units to cover cities in the hinterland with air defense systems with interceptor drones, and we also train drone pilots”said the spokesman for the Air Force, Yuriy Ermat.
Interceptor drones are cheaper
“If all air defense groups had interceptor drones and we could use them to destroy enemy drones, we would have something like” star Wars “”said the co -founder of Besomar, Roman Shemechko.
“That would be effective because they would no longer shoot on clouds, but a goal to take it out. This is more effective than just shooting on Shaheds that fly at a height of 3 kilometers or waste a rocket”he added.
According to experts, interceptor drones are also an appropriate alternative in view of the costs for anti-aircraft missiles. According to the unmanned systems, a branch of the Ukrainian army, which specializes in drone warfare, the price for an anti-aircraft missile can be up to $ 1 million (EUR 85.4 million), while an interceptor drone costs around $ 5,000.
This article was originally written in Ukrainian.
