Air Force names timeline for scaling up jet drone interceptors

Ukraine expects to receive interceptor drones to combat Russian jet-powered drones on the necessary scale no earlier than the end of November.

This was stated by Deputy Commander of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Cherevashenko during a conversation, fragments of which were released on October 6 by MP Oleksiy Honcharenko.

When asked when the Air Force expects the delivery of the required number of jet drone interceptors, Cherevashenko answered: "No earlier than the end of November".

At the same time, such means are already being used. According to the Deputy Air Force Commander, Ukrainian troops have already had successful interceptions of air targets at distances of over a kilometer.

"We have had downings at distances of 1400 meters, we downed jet drones and "Banderoli" up to 800 m", - reported Cherevashenko.

However, for systematic counteraction to jet UAVs, the number of relevant means must be substantially increased. An additional problem is the flight altitude of some Russian drones. According to Cherevashenko, some targets can fly at an altitude of about 7 km, while existing interceptor drones are currently capable of operating up to about 6 km.

The Deputy Air Force Commander explained that a Russian drone heading, for example, from the north or east toward Kyiv, must pass at least two echelons of air defense and a separate echelon of interceptor drones. The effectiveness of such protection depends, in particular, on the density of saturation with means of destruction.

One of the problems, Cherevashenko named the lack of missiles for anti-aircraft systems capable of working against targets at appropriate altitudes. In particular, this concerns the "Osa" systems. According to him, current missile production does not cover the needs of the Defense Forces, so it needs to be scaled up.

F-16 fighters are also used to combat jet drones. Cherevashenko called them one of the most effective means of countering such UAVs, however, intensive use of aircraft leads to rapid consumption of their technical life and increases the need for maintenance.

Another element of defense is automated fire installations. According to Cherevashenko, such systems can automatically aim at a target based on radar data or information-telecommunication systems and track it, while the decision to open fire remains with the operator.

Based on materials from: Oleksiy Honcharenko