Russia is increasing its use of jet-powered drones in attacks on Ukraine: while Russian forces used around 350 such UAVs in June, the figure rose to around 3,500 in September.
Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said this during a television broadcast.
“The statistics show that [the Russians] are increasing [their use of jet-powered UAVs]: 350 jet-powered drones in June, 1,500 in July, 2,800 in August, and 3,500 jet-powered UAVs in September,” Ihnat said.
At the same time, according to him, October has seen a certain decline in the use of such weapons.
“Russian forces use 50 during the night, and there may be 30 during the day,” he said.
The spokesperson stressed that jet-powered UAVs are more difficult to intercept than conventional attack drones. In terms of their characteristics, Russian jet-powered drones and “Banderol” UAVs are approaching cruise missiles, meaning that conventional systems used to counter Shahed drones may be less effective. New air defence capabilities are therefore needed to intercept them.
“Innovative solutions from our defence industry and our military and political leadership, combined with support from our partners, will help us address this problem,” Ihnat said.
