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Ukraine Pilots Forced to Take Risks as Russian Jet-Powered Drones Strain Missile Supplies
Developing
In Short: Russian forces have increased their use of jet-powered drones against Ukraine, leading to a surge in complex attacks involving hundreds of drones and missiles, according to BBC Verify.
The proliferation of these advanced drones has prompted President Volodymyr Zelensky to condemn the situation, calling it an "unfolding horror" over the skies of Kyiv. Ukraine's military data shows that jet-powered drone attacks grew from 350 in June to 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August, with these drones outnumbering older models in five nightly attacks in August.
The growing use of jet-propelled drones is attributed to their speed, making them much more difficult for Ukraine to intercept. "The reason for turning to jet-powered drones is that they are much faster than the previous generation and it makes it much more difficult for Ukraine to intercept them," said Dr Marina Miron, an expert on military technology at King's College London.
According to reports, the drones are powered by turbojet engines, some of which are sourced from China. This shift in technology has put additional strain on Ukraine's missile supplies, leading to a drop in interceptions of ballistic missiles up to the end of July.
Satellite images show that Moscow is redesigning key facilities to host jet-powered drones, with longer rails visible at a new base in the Oryol region. The increase in the size of the strikes is being powered by Moscow's shift towards combining a "greater variety of munitions" with expensive ballistic missiles that are extremely difficult to intercept, according to Michael Bohnert of the RAND think tank.
Earlier this year, Ukraine showed relative success in countering Russian drones, intercepting 94% of long-range drones. However, the recent surge in jet-powered drone attacks has put a strain on these defenses. On September 1, a wave of attacks killed at least 12 people and injured 20 more, according to Zelensky.
The Moldovan government reported that a plane carrying Zelensky was delayed at Chisinau airport on Tuesday after a Russian drone entered Moldovan airspace, highlighting the expanding reach of these advanced weapons.
What's still developing
- Russia fired its new rapid, jet-powered drones against Ukraine every day throughout August, BBC Verify analysis of Ukrainian Air Force data has found, escalating its use of a weapon that Kyiv's air defences are struggling to deal with.
- The proliferation of jet-powered drones comes as BBC Verify found that Russia is now striking Ukraine with complex attacks involving hundreds of drones and missiles about once a week.
- Kyiv's data shows that Moscow is now using over 15 times as many drones per attack than it was four years ago.
- It marked the first time that daily attacks by Moscow's new upgraded Geran drones were recorded in Ukrainian Air Force data.
- President Donald Trump shows more fondness for Russian President Vladimir Putin than his predecessors did, but most Russia watchers in the West still dwell on Russia’s lagging technology; its failure to rescue allies in Syria, Venezuela, and Cuba; and what they see as its reduction to a vassal of mighty China.
Sources
- Kyivindependentlink