An expert explained why it's difficult to shoot down a Shahed jet-powered loitering munition with an interceptor

Reactive "Shahed" drones, whose speed exceeds 400-450 km/h, are becoming an increasingly difficult target for interceptor drones—most of them simply cannot withstand such flight tempo.

Why interceptor drones can’t keep up with reactive "Shahed" drones. According to Timofiy Yurkov, cofounder of the Contra-Drone EW company, the navigation principle of a reactive drone has not fundamentally changed compared to a regular "Shahed." An inertial system and a CRPA antenna remain, so the difference in applying EW against a reactive and a standard "Shahed" is small. Instead, physically intercepting such a UAV with interceptor drones becomes considerably more challenging due to the much higher speed of the reactive craft. Yurkov mentions more than 400-450 km/h—most interceptors are not capable of operating at such speeds. Currently, successful interceptions of such Shaheds by interceptors are very few—they are almost nonexistent, and the existing cases resemble more of a fluke than a steady trend. For such an interception, the operator must not chase the target but calculate its trajectory and intercept ahead of it, which requires a high level of skill. Another problem is the interceptors themselves—after reaching speeds of about 350 km/h and above, components become problematic, and batteries do not always sustain the required operating mode. Also read: Russia launches reactive drones across Ukraine straight from the line. "Flash" named the monthly count. Will pairing interceptors with radars help? Therefore, according to Contra-Drone’s cofounder, pairing interceptors with personal radars is becoming increasingly relevant. This approach should allow detecting fast targets and guiding the interceptor not to the target but to the trajectory intersection. "The question of intercepting the target—not chasing it, but intercepting along the trajectory—will become increasingly relevant as Shahed speeds rise," explained Timofiy Yurkov. Contra-Drone also makes personal radar devices for assault groups, and Yurkov hopes that their combination with interceptors will help change the situation in intercepting high-speed drones. At the same time, he emphasizes that jamming Shahed navigation remains one of the most optimal solutions, especially when a large number of drones approach a city or target simultaneously: "The majority of Shaheds lose the ability to reach the target precisely because of jamming, not because of a successful physical interception."

Intercepting reactive drones currently remains one of the key tasks for Ukraine’s air defense. President Volodymyr Zelensky said that in the autumn the rate of downing reactive Shahed drones should be raised to 90%. In just four days at the end of August, Russia fired at Ukraine nearly 1500 drones, of which about 800 were reactive. Defense Minister Yevheniy Khmara said that Ukraine has already tested four potential interceptors to counter such drones and plans to scale their production to thousands of units. Meanwhile, President’s advisor Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov pointed out that reactive Shahed drones fly to Kyiv along the same route near the Belarus border, which may be related to tying their navigation to the network of Belarusian mobile operators.