Ukraine's agile defences: Intercepting Russian drone threats
Since September 2022, the Russians have launched over 7,000 Shahed kamikaze drones into Ukrainian territories. These unmanned aerial vehicles often pose a threat to energy infrastructure. Ukrainians are seeking new ways to defend against them without using anti-aircraft missiles.
17 October 2024 15:49
In the past two months, the number of drones launched has been on the rise. "In August, Ukrainian air forces recorded 789 drones and in September—1,339," according to a report by the portal Ekonomiczna Prawda published by the Polish Press Agency. Previously, these figures varied from 300 to 600 drones per month.
Ukrainian interceptor drones have appeared in the skies this summer, regularly shooting down Russian UAVs. This solution is a key defence element, especially considering the increasing number of attacks. FPV drones in this role are characterised by higher speed and more robust batteries, allowing operations over greater distances.
"Several teams working on drone development are striving to adapt this solution to combat Shaheds. For this purpose, Ukrainian FPV drones must become even faster and be equipped with night vision cameras," reports the portal.
Drones to combat drones
The co-founder of one of Ukraine's leading drone manufacturing companies, who preferred to remain anonymous, reported that their equipment reached up to 320 km/h, nearly double the cruising speed of a Shahed. This enables swift response. The company plans to test its UAVs in October. "The engineers have not yet utilised all the capabilities of FPV-type machines," he emphasised in a conversation with Ekonomiczna Prawda.
Properly deploying air defence systems is key to effectively combating kamikaze drones. Monitoring Ukraine's airspace using radio stations would be difficult, so the Ukrainians are resorting to alternative methods, including acoustic sensors. These sensors are designed to detect the sound of Shahed drones and provide real-time location information on targets.
However, acoustic sensors are not the only technology Ukraine is relying on. Electronic warfare systems play an essential role. They disrupt the stability of drones and cause them to "get lost" in flight. As a result, one of the Ukrainian defence industry's priorities is producing electronic warfare systems.
