Russia's Jet-Powered Shahed Drones Are Quickly Evolving As Ukraine Scrambles To Blunt Their Damage
- Yuriy Ignat, spokesperson for Ukraine's air force, reported on Wednesday that Russia has launched 7,700 turbojet drones into Ukraine so far, with monthly usage surging from 350 in June to 2,850 in August.
- Unlike earlier propeller-driven Shahed models, the newer Geran-5 drones use turbojet engines, making them significantly faster. These designs bear similarities to the Iranian Karrar, which was itself based on the American MQM-107 Streaker.
- Ukraine is currently neutralizing about 55% of these jet-powered drones, down sharply from the 90% interception rate against slower models. A drone strike on a Kyiv high-rise around 8 a.m. Friday killed a 14-year-old, illustrating the threat's severity.
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine has tested four types of jet interceptor drones in combat to counter the threat. The military is now working to expand production of these countermeasures at scale.
- Russia plans to spend about $12 billion next year on jet-powered drone production. Documents obtained by Zelenskyy indicate the Kremlin intends to produce enough airframe material for another 28,000 one-way attack drones annually.
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Exclusive: Ukraine's partners could access new tech to counter jet-powered drones, Budanov tells Euronews
Countries with existing drone cooperation agreements with Kyiv could negotiate access to Ukraine’s latest technology for countering Russia’s new jet-powered drones, Kyrylo Budanov told Euronews.
(Seoul=Yonhap News) Russia's jet-propelled 'Geran' drone, which has rapidly emerged as the most lethal new threat to Ukraine's air defense network due to its significantly faster speed than existing drones...
Aerial clashes between Ukrainian interceptor drones and attacking Russian Geran (Musk) jet drones are taking place at unprecedented speeds. One such duel took place at a record 425 kilometers per hour, Business Insider reported.
KIEV. Upgraded "drone hunters" are being touted as Ukraine's best chance to defend itself against Russia's jet drones. But it will likely be some time before the new interceptors are in place. Mass production can only begin a month after ongoing tests are completed, the manufacturer tells DN.
The speed was higher than in Formula One.
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