Russia has launched a deadly attack on Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine, using jet-powered variants of the Shahed drone. At least 13 people were killed and over 130 injured in the latest barrage, which included eight Iskander-K cruise missiles.
The attack highlighted concerns about the difficulty of tracking and intercepting these high-speed drones, which can evade current Ukrainian air defenses. The jet-powered Shaheds are believed to be a version of the Shahed-238 drone, first presented by Iran last November.
According to documents leaked in April 2023, the Shahed-238 has a range of between 620 and 1,240 miles and can climb to an altitude of nearly six miles. The warhead weighs 50 kg (about 110 pounds) and its turbojet engine produced a maximum speed of up to 600 kmh (about 370 mph).
Ukrainian officials said that the Shahed-238 is virtually unattainable for current air defenses, with reduced reaction times making it tougher to take out. Russia’s deployment of jet-powered drones comes as Ukraine struggles to defend against improved capabilities and tactics of propeller-driven Shaheds.
To counter this threat, Ukraine has been developing interceptor drones based on first-person view (FPV) drones used to counter Russian reconnaissance drones. However, Ukrainian officials warned that these may not be effective against the jet-powered Shaheds, with Russia potentially using them to test the effectiveness of new interceptors.
The cost of intercepting these high-end drones is a significant challenge for Ukraine, with SAMs capable of reaching altitudes where jets cruise at costing millions apiece. A single AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile can cost up to $1 million, while Patriot PAC-3 interceptors cost about $4 million each.
For now, it’s likely that Russia will continue to layer its attacks with Shahed-136s and jet-powered Shaheds to complicate mass attacks and drain Ukraine’s advanced interceptors.
Source: https://www.twz.com/news-features/russias-jet-powered-shahed-kamikaze-drone-is-a-big-problem-for-ukraine