UK Media: Russia's Shift to Jet Drones Makes Them Harder for Ukraine to Intercept, Enhancing Air Strike Effectiveness

(CNA Taipei, July 4 - Foreign News Agencies) Russia has begun using faster jet-powered drones, making them difficult for Ukrainian interceptor drones to catch and forcing the use of superior air defense systems like Patriot missiles. This exacerbates the depletion of Ukraine's already scarce air defense resources and makes Russian air strikes more successful.

The UK's "The Telegraph" reported that Kyiv previously faced mostly "Shahed" suicide drones powered by piston engines, which made sounds like motorcycles. Now, they are hearing jet-powered drones with sharp, piercing whines, using jet engines to streak across the sky at extreme speeds, sometimes mistaken for missiles.

These upgraded jet drones can reach speeds of 500 kilometers per hour, nearly three times faster than piston-powered propeller drones. Additionally, these jet drones can carry warheads weighing between 50 and 90 kilograms.

Ukrainian officials stated that Russia is using jet drones more frequently in an attempt to overwhelm Kyiv's air defense systems, forcing Ukraine to expend precious interceptor missiles and create gaps in air defense, allowing Russian ballistic and cruise missiles to penetrate.

During the four-and-a-half-year war, Ukraine established domestic production lines for interceptor drones, using cheaper equipment to counter Russia's low-cost Iranian-made "Shahed" drones and reduce the consumption of air defense missiles.

Initially, Ukrainian interceptor drones were very effective against "Shahed" drones traveling at only about 180 kilometers per hour. However, the upgraded "Shahed" drones, modified by Russia with Chinese-made turbojet engines, have increased their maximum speed to 500 kilometers per hour, far exceeding the speed of Ukrainian interceptor drones.

Yurii Ihnat, spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, said, "These jet drones have exceeded the interception capabilities of our interceptor drones, as their maximum speed is only 300 kilometers per hour. This means we can no longer rely on interceptor drones for air defense and must use missiles."

Analysts say that these new jet drones make Russian missile attacks more effective. During an air raid on July 2, only 3 out of 28 ballistic missiles launched by Russia were shot down. Ballistic missiles have always been the most difficult targets to intercept and typically require US-made Patriot air defense systems.

Oleksandr Kovalenko, a Ukrainian military analyst, stated that this attack was "particularly notable" compared to recent waves of air raids due to the significantly increased proportion of jet drones.

Bogdan Dolintse, a Ukrainian aviation expert, said that the current situation essentially involves a continuous increase in the number of jet-powered loitering munitions. With speeds of 400 to 450 kilometers per hour, they are very difficult targets to intercept.

He added, "If previously we talked about the enemy deploying up to 1,000 drones in attacks lasting 10 to 14 hours, now Russia's goal is to complete an offensive of the same scale within 4 to 6 hours." (Compiled by Chen Yi-wei) 1150704

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