Changing war....

‘Horror in the sky’: Ukraine races for a solution to Russian jet-powered drones

The Kremlin’s newest innovation is causing havoc for Kyiv’s air defenses.

By Veronika Melkozerova

Russia is upgrading its attack drones by powering them with fast turbojet engines, making them much more difficult to intercept and forcing Ukraine to develop technology to knock them down.

The shift is adding to the strain on a country already accustomed to nights spent under air-raid alerts: faster drones give air-defense crews less time to respond, can outpace the defenses that helped counter earlier Shaheds and threaten homes, transport and critical infrastructure across Ukraine.

"Together with dozens of Ukrainian companies, we are already looking for cheap and mass-produced solutions, in particular for intercepting jet-powered drones. Some interceptors are already undergoing combat testing," Ukrainian Defense Minister Evgeniy Khmara said last week at a meeting of Ukraine's allies.

"We cannot simply wait while Russia refines its repertoire of killings. Right now, we need to focus as much attention as possible on securing the skies, finding ways to protect people, and scaling up our response to Russian drones," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said last Friday.

The arrival of the jet-powered drones raises the stakes for Ukraine’s survival through the winter. Unless Ukraine can field an affordable interceptor at scale to shoot down the large numbers of Russian jet-powered drones, it will be forced to use aircraft and missiles worth far more than the drones they destroy, depleting the defenses it must preserve for Russia’s ballistic and cruise missiles, which are capable of causing far greater damage.

More than 60 local defense producers are now rushing to produce interceptors to help stop what Zelenskyy has described as “horror in the sky.”

“There are three to five companies who have already shown some results,” Zelenskyy said earlier this month, adding that the next step is to begin mass production.

A faster target

In a war that has seen dizzying technological advancements on both sides, Russia has upgraded its propeller-powered Geran drones, originally modeled on Iran's Shaheds, and has launched a new iteration powered by turbojet engines. While the old Geran-2 models fly at about 200 kilometers per hour, the latest Geran-5s can reach speeds of up to 600 kph. The newest drones also fly at higher altitudes, while their engines have a lower thermal footprint.

Meanwhile, many of Ukraine's interceptor drones fly at about 300 kph, so they can't catch the newest Gerans. That's forcing Ukraine to use its fighter jets to try to intercept them.

Russia can produce about 3,000 of the newest drones a month, Ukrainian military intelligence said.

Moscow has also changed its deployment tactics, said Brave1, a Ukrainian government platform aimed at boosting arms sector innovation.

The new jet-powered drones are targeting passenger trains, warehouses, logistical routes, civilian housing and shopping malls. Vladimir Putin is “terrorizing day and night,” Zelenskyy said Sunday.

“Ukraine was doing everything to master interception of regular Shaheds, while the jet-powered ones are faster and fly higher. And there are not enough interceptor missiles for all the jet-powered drones Russia sends against Ukraine,” said Andriy Zahorodnyuk, a former defense minister who now heads the Center for Defense Strategies think tank.

New drone hunters

Ukraine has developed high-speed quadcopters that can work against older Russian jet-powered drones. Brave1 said some can fly up to 550 kph, fast enough to intercept Geran-3 drones, with a top speed of about 500 kph.

But for the newest types of Russian drones, "you need a different means," said Oleksii Babenko, CEO of the Ukrainian defense company Vyriy Industries. At those speeds, Ukraine needs turbojet- or rocket-powered interceptors because propeller-driven drones cannot keep up, he said.

In June, defense companies Noctis and Vyriy presented their own high-speed interceptor, which has shown good results against jet-powered drones, Babenko said.

"We are working in four areas regarding drone interceptors — these are turbojet drones, impeller interceptors with electric engines, high-speed electric racing 'copters, and technologies for shooting down Shaheds on head-on courses," Brave1 said.

Brave1 is also working on small anti-aircraft missiles, but said they are more difficult to design than the simpler counter-drones used against older Shaheds.

“Logistics, procurement, production will also take some time. But this problem will definitely be solved. It's just that, unfortunately, for a month or two, we will have to shoot them down with more expensive means, that is, with missiles from fighter jets. Or turrets at the moment when it is already close to the target,” Babenko added.

The drone and counter-drone race is part of a wider technology cycle involving artificial intelligence, satellite communications, missiles and electronic warfare, where both countries constantly innovate in reaction to each other's advances.

Russia's new drones, a reaction to Ukraine's success in knocking down older Gerans, weren't a surprise, Babenko said.

“The defense ministry warned us that this problem is coming and we need to be prepared. Unfortunately, defense producers were not ready.  I would say not a single defense industry in the world was ready for this,” Babenko said.

Defense producers lacked engineers and cash to get ready.

“We don't have enough of them, other manufacturers don't, and here are the consequences. Will we prevent similar problems in the future? We definitely plan to do so, but this war doesn't always give everyone time,” Babenko said.

But Ukraine is confident it will master the technology to counter the new threat.

"Jet-powered Shaheds are a serious challenge, but we will overcome it and in turn offer the Russians many unpleasant surprises," Brave1 said.