According to Colonel Yurii Ihnat, acting Head of Communications for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Air Force Command, the Russian Armed Forces are increasingly utilizing various types of drones, in addition to the Shahed drones from Iran. However, these Shahed drones are regularly affected by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems and often crash to the ground without causing any harm.
This strategy by the Russian forces aims to saturate Ukrainian air defenses and maintain their aerial reconnaissance capabilities, even though many of their drones are being taken down by electronic warfare. This development highlights the need for continued advancement in air defense and counter-drone technologies by Ukraine and its allies, in order to maintain their advantage on the battlefield and protect civilian infrastructure.
Specifically, Colonel Ihnat mentioned that the Russian forces are using cheap UAVs, such as the Gerbera drone, which comes in three versions: electronic reconnaissance, kamikaze, or decoy drones. However, Defense Express notes that these drones have a foam fuselage and are assembled with low production quality, making them prone to crashing.
The Ukrainian Air Force has been using the term “location lost” in their morning reports, which refers to a target that was tracked by their air surveillance units but suddenly disappears from radar. This could mean that the drone either ran out of fuel or crashed due to the impact of electronic warfare systems. The Air Force also mentioned that there have been instances where Russian targets have returned to their own territory or to Belarus.
Colonel Ihnat emphasized that the Russian forces are using a large number of airborne attack assets to overwhelm Ukrainian air defense and conduct aerial reconnaissance. This highlights the importance of constantly monitoring and improving air defense capabilities to effectively counter these threats.
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