Reactive “shaheeds”: how to effectively counter a new threat

Mobile fire groups lose their effectiveness due to the high speed and altitude of the jet “shaheeds”, and anti-aircraft drones, light aircraft and helicopters are unable to catch up with them. Therefore, the most effective means of counteraction are jet aircraft, anti-aircraft artillery and air defense systems.

This opinion was expressed on the air of “Pryamoye” by military observer Denys Popovych.

“There is nothing that a person cannot destroy or shoot down. A Shahed jet can be fixed as a cruise missile. Do we shoot down cruise missiles? Yes, we shoot down cruise missiles. Here we just need to understand by what means this can be done. If we continue to rely on mobile fire groups in the fight against these Shahed jets, their effectiveness will decrease, since their speed and altitude are greater,” Popovych noted.

According to him, it is also impossible to shoot down such jet “shaheeds” with anti-aircraft drones, light aircraft, or helicopters because of their speed.

“Will anti-aircraft drones be enough? No, not enough, because anti-aircraft drones have a lower speed. They develop 300 km per hour, and the Shahed jets over 500 km per hour… Will it be possible to use helicopters with machine guns? No, a helicopter will not catch up with a jet drone. Will light-engine aviation be effective? It is very doubtful, because not every light-engine aircraft can develop such a speed,” explains the military observer.

At the same time, jet aircraft with air-to-air missiles, anti-aircraft artillery, and air defense systems can be effective, he added.

“Jet aircraft will be effective, but the question arises as to what means to shoot down. In my opinion, approaching this “shaheed” to shoot down with an aircraft cannon is dangerous for the pilot. Since there will be debris flying that will damage the plane. But if you use air-to-air missiles, it will be effective. Anti-aircraft artillery and anti-aircraft missile systems will also be able to shoot down,” Popovich noted.

However, he believes, then the question arises of the cost of such weapons, since Ukraine depends on Western allies, as well as the pace and volume of air-to-air or surface-to-air missile deliveries.

“We should focus on producing our own anti-aircraft missile, which could be used to shoot down these drones, as cheaply and as unified as possible, in order to use it on a larger number of platforms: on ground launchers, on MANPADS, on aircraft, and so on. These jet drones can be shot down using anti-aircraft missile weapons in particular,” military observer Denys Popovych emphasized.

As is known, on the night of Thursday, July 31, Russian troops carried out a combined attack on Kyiv , using missiles and drones. As a result of the strike, significant destruction was recorded in several areas of the capital, there were deaths and dozens of injuries. According to preliminary information, the Russians involved jet “shaheeds” in the attack . As of the morning of August 1 , 31 people were killed and 156 injured .

At the same time, Ukrainians began to hear a new eerie sound in the night sky – it is about jet versions of Shahed kamikaze drones, which Russia began to use in recent days. This was the enemy’s response to the successes of Ukrainian anti-aircraft drones. So far, the attacks are not massive, but the appearance of a new type of drone may change the nature of threats from the air in the coming months.

Earlier it became known that Russian “Shaheed” drones began to perform complex maneuvers in flight to avoid being hit by Ukrainian interceptor drones .

Recall that the Russian troops may soon begin using updated “Shaheds”, which are capable of being controlled in real time . Instead of a pre-set flight route, there is manual control and coordination between several aircraft in the air.

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