Ukraine Deploying ‘Tens Of Thousands’ Of Interceptors To Stop Shaheds

2 comments

1. Please read the whole article, it jam-packed with information. Some snippets from it:

   > the Shaheds have switched tactics, flying at 10,000 feet or more, above the ceiling of antiaircraft fire, and plunging down vertically when they reach the target. The rate of downing Shaheds dopped from 95% or more to 86% last month, so around three times as many were getting through.
   > Machineguns cannot reach Shaheds flying at altitude. But small, fast interceptor drones can.

   > The attack drones are more massive, at over 400 pounds, and fly slightly higher and faster than the original FPV interceptors. This has required some design modifications, and we have seen aerodynamic bullet-shaped quadcopters (like Wild Hornet’s Sting interceptor) and delta-winged arrow shapes as well as traditional designs.

   > Prices quoted are in the region of $1,000- $5,000 depending on speed, range and endurance.

   > “Tens of thousands [of interceptor drones]. This is what we have already contracted and will continue to contract. Our contracting now, on the one hand, depends on the manufacturer’s capacity, and on the other hand, on the state budget’s capacity,” Zhumadilov told Ukrainian outlet Babel. “We will definitely contract everything that the state budget can afford.”

   Russians have acknowledged their effectiveness too:

   > Alexey Rogozin. CEO of Russia’s United Aircraft Corporation claimed on his Telegram channel media that Ukrainian interceptor drones had downed over 500 Shaheds under the ‘Clear Sky’ initiative to defend Kyiv, using drones guided by radar and visual systems.

   > “In a few months since its launch, the system has intercepted more than 500 Geran [i.e. Shahed] attack drones,” according to Rogozin. “In fact, we are talking about an urban anti-drone dome built on the mass use of small-sized interceptors, primarily FPV drones. The system includes calculations on vehicles, a monitoring and coordination center and a training center.”

2. Good lord drone warfare is terrifying. Just the sheer number of cheap death machines.

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