Nearly 1,900 jet-powered Shaheds in September: Air Force reveals new tactics and enemy UAV downing rate
Russia has launched nearly 7,700 jet-powered Shahed-type drones against Ukraine. At the same time, their share of the total number of attacks has risen sharply in September.
Yurii Ihnat, head of the Communications Department of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, said this during the national telethon, Censor.NET reports.
Enemy increasingly uses jet-powered Shaheds
According to Ihnat, Russian forces are increasingly deploying jet-powered versions of Shahed drones. In September so far alone, the enemy has launched approximately 1,900 such attack drones against Ukraine.
"For comparison, there were 2,800 over the whole of July. The downing rate is 60%, which is quite high given the current capabilities of the Defence Forces," Ihnat noted.
Russian tactics
When launching jet-powered drones, the occupiers are constantly developing new manoeuvres and factoring in the weather. According to Ihnat, the intensity of their use is directly linked to weather conditions.
"The first thing the enemy will look at is the weather conditions in the area along the flight route and in the area of the target it wants to strike. If there is fog or cloud cover, it will complicate the work of Ukrainian air defence. They are very well versed in this," he stressed.
The spokesperson also added that the enemy is changing its drone deployment tactics. In particular, in September, the occupiers first used their stockpiled jet-powered UAVs and subsequently sent several massive waves of conventional Shahed drones toward Ukraine’s western regions.
Interceptors
The Air Force representative also commented on the use of interceptor capabilities against jet-powered Shaheds.
"There has been much discussion about confirmed shootdown results, including by quadcopter-type interceptors. "This can be done if a jet-powered drone is flying slowly and low," Ihnat said.
At the same time, he stressed that jet-powered interceptor drones are a promising area in this field.
