Russia boosts drone sophistication, challenging Ukraine's defenses
Russia is intensifying its drone attacks on Ukraine. Expert Pavlo Lakijczuk, a former military officer from Ukraine, highlights that the number of microprocessors in drones has increased more than thirty-fold, making them harder to neutralize, as reported on the Ukrainian agency Unian's website. According to Lakijczuk, Ukraine needs to enhance its electronic warfare capabilities.
Russia is continually upgrading its drones, which are used for attacks on Ukraine. Pavlo Lakijczuk points out the significant increase in the number of microprocessors in these devices. Currently, drones can have up to 32 communication channels, rendering them difficult to neutralize.
Russia complicates drone interception
- There are numerous areas for modernization, starting with engines and, most importantly, ending with electronics. Electronics is the system for determining the location of drones. If previously only one radio channel was needed for location determination, later it was four, then eight, now there are drones with up to 32 microchip communication channels - Lakijczuk explained.
Lakijczuk emphasizes that to effectively counter these drones, Ukraine must increase its electronic warfare resources. Current systems are at a high level, but further development is required. The former military officer adds that to "silence" such a modern drone today, requires 32 times more jamming equipment than was needed at the start of the full-scale war.
Russian drones use various tactics to avoid detection. They fly at high altitudes to avoid machine gun fire or at low altitudes to bypass other defence systems. Ukraine must therefore increase the number of mobile defence groups and expand the electronic warfare system network.
The Ukrainian expert notes that the Russians plan to intensify the production of popular Shahed drones. As he explains, two factories in Russia are currently producing them, and additionally, the Russian Federation receives this weapon from Iran. Along with fully operational attack drones, the Russians also use so-called decoy drones, which aim to "awaken" Ukrainian air defence and force it to reveal its position.
Shahed-136 drones
Let us recall that the mentioned Shahed-136 unmanned aerial vehicles are characterized by a unique delta wing configuration, with a length of approximately 3.4 metres and a wingspan of about 2.4 metres. These unmanned aerial vehicles can carry combat payloads of up to 40 kilograms. Thanks to the Limbach L550E engine, these drones can reach a maximum speed of approximately 185 km/h.
