Back
Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
UNIANRussian jet drones, which can fly at speeds of hundreds of kilometers per hour, are creating a new problem for Ukrainian air defenses. Because of their high speed and flight altitude, military personnel often have only a few moments to try to intercept them. This is reported in an article by The Associated Press.
As the reporters write, because many drones reach the capital, defense manufacturers are urgently developing a new generation of interceptors. They are building their own jet propulsion systems and training artificial intelligence to help steer the pursuit.
Ukrainian officials say they are testing new interceptors and claim they have already successfully struck Russian jet drones. According to manufacturers, producing interceptors in sufficient numbers and training pilots to operate them could take up to six months.
In the meantime, air defense units do not have time to wait. They face constant waves of drones and are forced to improvise, since people are killed almost every day.
Reporters saw how an air defense unit that repels jet drone attacks over Ukraine’s capital operates.
"It’s like chasing a pig through the forest," described the unit’s commander Volodymyr Serdyuk.
The man said his son serves on the frontline in eastern Ukraine, and now only calls his father in Kyiv to make sure he is all right. This is an indication of how much life in the capital has worsened, the outlet noted.
Even if drones fly directly over the fighters’ heads, "the problem is that they fly too high" to be accurately fired upon, says former U.S. Marine and volunteer with this unit Sean Almeida.
How Ukrainian air defense operates
The outlet reported that Ukrainian air defenses use electronic warfare tools and artificial intelligence to funnel Russian drones into narrow corridors in the sky, giving interceptors a better chance to catch up.
But this does not always work: the fastest Ukrainian interceptors usually reach speeds of 300–400 km/h, which is not enough to face the new threat, the journalists write.
According to them, crews have begun training on a new interceptor equipped with a cooling system to prevent batteries from overheating when the drone’s speed is increased so it can match a jet adversary.
Fighters F-16 are also used in the fight against jet drones. As the authors explained, they can intercept such targets but require significant maintenance. Some aircraft are currently out of service awaiting repair.
Manufacturers rush to scale up production
Ukraine was warned that faster jet drones would appear, but manufacturers did not have a ready solution when new variants emerged, said Vyriy Drones CEO Oleksiy Babenko.
Defense companies are now working on faster interceptors, new engine systems, and autonomous guidance capabilities. But scaling up production is not simple, since procuring components, testing designs, and training crews take time.
One of the biggest problems is miniature turbojet engines. A significant portion of them come from European manufacturers whose production capacities are far below Ukraine’s potential needs, the outlet writes.
At least one Ukrainian defense company has already successfully tested an interceptor against the new threat. Babenko estimates that scaling up production and reducing the lag could take three to four months. Military analyst Taras Chmut believes the process could take six months or longer.
"Right now we are racing for speed. We are trying to create faster interceptors and new solutions," Babenko said.
Ukrainian air defenses destroy Russian jet drones
As UNIAN reported, 30 September Ukrainian air defenses for the first time shot down more than 80% of jet drones. According to data from the Air Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, from 6:30 to 18:30 the enemy attacked Ukraine with 285 strike UAVs, of which 174 were jet-powered. During the specified period, air defense shot down/suppressed 254 UAVs (146 of them were jet-powered). Prior to this, the corresponding figure barely reached 40–50%.
The military showed how they intercepted the Russian jet drone "Geran-5" using the P1-SUN JetKiller interceptor drone. During the combat operation the crew also used the SkyFall remote control system, developed by SkyFall, which allows the operator to control the interceptor over the internet while located a significant distance from its launch site.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "ППО не встигає за реактивними дронами: Україна терміново створює нові перехоплювачі, - AP". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: UNIAN.
