Aviation expert Valerii Romanenko explains how Ukraine is combating drones and why "Shahed" drones have started flying at higher altitudes.
Russia continues its prolonged attacks using "Shahed" drones. Due to the circling of enemy drones over various regions, air alarms can last over 14 hours in some areas. It is likely that the Russians are using Iranian drones to distract Ukraine's air defense.
Aviation expert and a leading researcher at the National Aviation University, Valerii Romanenko explained the purpose of Russia's "Shahed" attacks and how long these drones can stay in the air, in a comment to "RBC-Ukraine."
According to Romanenko, the tactic is based on the drones' technical capabilities. The "Shahed's" range is recorded as 1,500 km, although Iranian sources claim up to 2,000 km.
"Even if we take the 1,500 km range, the "Shahed's" cruising speed is around 180 km/h. However, operational guidelines for mobile fire teams list a speed of 185 km/h. But Iranian sources suggest it can reach up to 200 km/h. If we divide 1,500 km by a speed of 200 km/h, we get about 7.5 hours of flight time," Romanenko explains.
If launched from Cape Chauda in the temporarily occupied Crimea, the drone takes about 1.5 hours to reach Ukraine's coastline. After that, the air alert is announced and it can continue circling over Ukraine for another six hours.
The main purpose of "Shahed" drones in mass attacks
According to Romanenko, the primary role of "Shahed" drones is to divert air defense systems. The goal is to force Ukrainian forces to use missiles to destroy them.
"If you look at the flight paths, you can see that they circle over Ukraine, performing this primary function. At the final stage, they either hit their targets or were shot down, and if they remained intact, they would crash somewhere, causing damage," Romanenko notes.
He also explains that sometimes reports from the Air Force indicate that certain enemy UAVs were "lost from radar." This means that "Shahed" drones fly according to a programmed route, and when they enter an area of active electronic jamming, they can lose orientation. If they cannot determine their location afterward and run out of fuel, they simply crash. This is why they sometimes cannot be found.
Romanenko provided an example where a drone that entered Polish territory during a massive Russian attack on Ukraine on August 26 has still not been found.
Regarding Russia's stockpile of "Shahed" drones, unfortunately, they have plenty. Romanenko reminded that Russia had announced by the end of last year that they would produce 5,000 such drones annually. If you divide this number by 12, the monthly production rate would be about 416 units.
How long can air terror last and what is the role of "Gerbera" drones?
For distraction purposes, Russia might also use special drones like the "Gerbera," which do not carry any serious reconnaissance equipment or warheads. Their sole task is to follow a programmed route and divert air defenses from real targets.
"If "Shaheds" distract from cruise missiles, "Gerbera" drones distract air defenses from both cruise missiles and "Shaheds". These drones are harder to detect due to their lighter weight and shorter range. For example, if such a drone crashes in a forest, it could get stuck in a tree and go unnoticed," Romanenko said.
When asked how long this air terror could continue, Romanenko suggested it could persist for a long time if the mass production of kamikaze drones is established in Yelabuga, Russia, where the so-called special economic zone "Alabuga" is located.
Why "Shahed" drones began to fly higher
Romanenko points out that Ukraine's defense forces are increasingly receiving anti-drone equipment from partners. For example, the Netherlands will provide Ukraine with 51 surveillance radars by the end of the year. Additionally, Kyiv is receiving new systems from Washington equipped with inexpensive laser-guided rockets costing $25,000 each.
"These are based on the unguided "Hydra" rocket. A central module is inserted to convert it into a laser-guided missile. We receive equipment that can be mounted on pickup trucks or delivered with vehicles equipped with launch systems. Similar missiles will be supplied for F-16s to target all types of drones," Romanenko explained.
Ukrainian forces are also trying to down UAVs without using expensive missiles, employing mobile groups, Gepard anti-aircraft guns, and various artillery systems with radar or electro-optical targeting, such as Skynex or Slinger and the like.
However, there is a problem. It consists in the fact that the Russians launch "Shaheds" at an altitude of more than 500 meters, making them unreachable for mobile groups with machine guns.
"Initially, "Shaheds" flew low to avoid radar detection, but due to significant losses from mobile fire groups, they sometimes are raised up to 1000 meters, neglecting the fact that the radars will clearly see them on the whole territory of Ukraine. But due to the fact that the mobile groups will not get them, they decided to solve this issue in this way," the expert added.
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