Kamikaze drones used by Russia in Ukraine
Ukraine shoots down cheap Iranian kamikaze drones with missiles that are much more expensive than them, writes the New York Times.
Kamikaze drones - usage in the war
The paper reports on the successes of the Ukrainian military, which claims to have shot down all 80 kamikaze drones launched by Russia in recent days, and questions how long Kyiv will be able to sustain its efforts, given that such defensive measures are quite expensive.
The Iranian-made Shahid-136 drones that Russia uses are relatively cheap, while the weapons kit needed to shoot them down is much more expensive, experts say.
Artem Starosyk, head of Ukrainian consulting company Molfar, has calculated that the missiles used to shoot down kamikaze drones are seven times more expensive than launching the drone itself.
A Shahid can cost $20,000, while the cost of launching a surface-to-air missile can range from $140,000 for the Soviet S-300 to half a million for the American NASAMS.
Against this background, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba is convinced that in the new year Kyiv will receive Western tanks and other armaments, which Kyiv is asking its partners for.
“Now President Zelensky and his entire diplomatic team are working intensively on new solutions for the supply of new types of Western weapons. It is mainly about the supply of Western-type tanks and other armored vehicles. I have no doubt that soon the Ukrainian army will have additional technical and firepower,” Kuleba said.
He divided Ukraine’s needs into two groups: The first is modern air and missile defense and ammunition (Patriot, IRIS-T, NASAMS, Crotale systems, Vulcan and Gepard anti-aircraft guns, Stinger MANPADS).
The second is tanks, artillery systems and ammunition of different calibers for them.
Earlier, German authorities said they did not intend to supply tanks to Ukraine until such a decision was made collectively within NATO.
According to some analysts, this imbalance could ultimately play in Moscow’s favor and cost Ukraine and its allies dearly.
According to Molfar, Russia has launched about 600 kamikaze drones in Ukraine since September. The Ukrainian military has not released much information about the details of air defenses and their costs because of operational secrecy that has shrouded much of the military planning, making analysis difficult, the New York Times noted.
At the same time, Russia plans to receive a new batch of Shahid kamikaze drones from Iran in the near future, Ukrainian intelligence reported.
According to Vadim Skibitsky, a spokesman for GUR, the enemy has already used 660 such unmanned aerial vehicles, and the contract provides for the delivery of 1,750 unmanned aerial vehicles.
“They really have problems with their arsenal, including drones. So far they have used about 660 Shahid drones. The contract calls for 1,750. It takes time to deliver and prepare them. In recent days, they have used a large number of them and these stocks must be filled in. According to our information, a new shipment is coming. How big it will be, it remains to be specified. As a rule, they are delivered in batches of 250-300 pieces. Let’s see how it will be this time,” said Skibicki.
The use of a swarm of drones aims to penetrate the air defense system and engage targets. If you shoot a small number — five to ten — it won’t have that effect, he says.
He added that the Russians are using different altitudes and directions to bypass air defenses, as well as changing drone launch zones. Now they launch drones from the Russian coast of the Sea of Azov, and before that they launched them from Crimea.
Earlier, Skibitsky also stated that the Russian Federation was preparing for another strike on Ukraine.
Subscribe to receive latest news from us
Other topics you may want to read:
Interview with the drone pilot Jenny Wong
Interview with the drone pilot Jenny Wong Questions and answers about the drone flying directly from the drone pilot Jenny Wong – a drone pilot
8 Drone Footage tips
8 Drone Footage tips – how to make it just fantastic. Here you can find the essentials drone footage techniques. 8 Essentials Drone Footage tips
Upcoming updates for Mavic 3, Mavic 2, and Mavic 2s
The upcoming updates for the DJI’s drones Mavic 3, Mavic 2 and Mavic Air 2s will be released as is shown on the table.
What we can say is that the major updates for the brand new Mavic 3 will be released in January 2022. And they will be available for:
