Number of Shaheds shot down over Pokrovsk up 50%
In September, the number of Russian Shahed kamikaze drones shot down over the Pokrovsk agglomeration increased by 50%. In August, 10 Shaheds were destroyed, while since the beginning of September, 16 have already been taken out.
This was reported by Colonel Artem Skurativskyi, head of the air defense department of the 7th Rapid Response Corps of the Air Assault Forces, Censor.NET said.
"This is the result of deploying new technologies, sharing experience, and training. Recently, in the defense zone of the 7th Corps of the Air Assault Forces, Ukrainian troops began using a domestically produced interceptor drone. Thanks to these drones, 9 out of 16 Shaheds were downed in our sector in September," he said.
According to Skurativskyi, for a long time Shaheds typically flew low, at altitudes up to 1 km, and were effectively destroyed by mobile fire groups. But over time, enemy kamikaze drones began attempting to cross the defensive line at altitudes of 2–3 km, making it increasingly difficult for mobile fire groups to take them out.
"Such targets had to be let through for stationary air defense systems to destroy them. Now, thanks to the new interceptor drones and the training of our troops, Shaheds are being shot down as soon as they cross the frontline," he said.
According to the 7th Corps of the Air Assault Forces, these interceptor drones can reach speeds of over 300 km/h and climb to altitudes of several kilometers. At present, operators control the drone using VR goggles, but in the future, the system is expected to be integrated with artificial intelligence for automatic target guidance.
