Enemy upgrades strike drones for ultra-low-altitude attacks: AFU change the counter-drone system, Syrskyi says
Drone Industry
The enemy is upgrading its strike drones and changing the tactics of their use, attacking at ultra-low altitudes. Ukraine, in turn, is strengthening its countermeasures against Shahed drones and developing a system of interceptor UAVs.
Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said this following a meeting focused on countering enemy Shahed drones, Censor.NET reports.
The enemy seeks a "blackout" for Ukraine
According to him, the Russian aggressor has not changed its intent to seize our territory and plunge our peaceful cities and villages into "blackouts."
"Therefore, we have a clear task: to continue the fight, defend the state, and destroy the enemy. This includes air attack assets, which Russia uses day and night to carry out massive strikes on Ukraine’s territory. Ukraine’s tangible results in defending and strengthening military positions also reinforce the groundwork for diplomacy," Syrskyi said.
He said the fight against Shahed drones requires a comprehensive approach and the use of a wide range of engagement assets, and therefore the synergy of efforts across many components of the Defense Forces.
Strengthening the interceptor UAV track
"Our key task at this stage is to strengthen the interceptor UAV track, increase the number of relevant drones, ground stations and radars, and scale up both the volume and quality of crew training.
This project has been underway for a long time and has my full support. Within a layered system, at a certain distance from major cities, interception lines are being established. The number of interceptor UAV deployments and their effectiveness are gradually increasing. At the same time, I stressed the need to intensify this work, speed up procurement of the relevant weapons and equipment, and reinforce manning of the relevant units," the Commander-in-Chief added.
The formation of separate air defense battalions of unmanned systems is also continuing.
"We are establishing staffed interceptor-UAV units within training ranges (training centers). To counter Shaheds, we are also drawing on additional resources from army aviation and light aviation, and securing support from international partners for this," he added.
The enemy is upgrading strike drones
The meeting discussed problem areas and ways to address them.
"The enemy takes advantage of weather conditions, upgrades its strike drones and changes the tactics of their use, attacking at ultra-low altitudes. Accordingly, we are upgrading our countermeasures and changing the system to achieve the necessary results," he said.
It is also noted that during the meeting, Syrskyi heard a report from the commander of the newly established unmanned systems of Air Defense, as well as reports from representatives of the Air Force, the Unmanned Systems Forces, army aviation, the Ground Forces Command’s air defense, the Logistics Forces, and other military command bodies.
