Ukraine's Air Force explains kamikaze drone attack specifics

Russian forces control Iranian-made kamikaze drones via satellite, so these UAVs are trying to mislead the Ukrainian air defence system. Due to the threat of Shahed drone attack an air-raid warning may last for a long time.

Source: Colonel Yurii Ihnat, Spokesperson for the Air Force of Ukraine, on air at Espreso.tv channel

Details: A large-scale and long-lasting air-raid warning was issued almost across the entire territory of Ukraine on the night of 27-28 May due to the record-breaking attack by Russia's Shahed drones. Ihnat explained the insidious nature of the kamikaze drone attack.

Quote: "They [Shahed drones – ed.] were launched from the south and the north (usually these fronts are used by Russian occupiers to launch Shahed attacks). Then they fly in groups, in batches they fly towards different fronts. Each drone has its own route, each UAV has a GPS navigation [system], [and it] is controlled via a satellite, thus it can fly even in circles, and then strike at a certain moment.

This way, the enemy tries to confuse and mislead our air defence system; it uses the topography of the area to disappear from radars.

Both kamikaze drones, such as Shahed, and cruise missiles are designed to overcome the air defence system, but as we can see, the Ukrainian air defence is getting stronger and stronger every day. We would like to have more equipment to get a 100% success rate. And perhaps the F-16 aircraft, which we have been waiting for so long, can cope with this better."

Details: According to Ihnat, the most effective equipment against Iranian drones at night are anti-aircraft guided missiles, which have a large area of damage, compared to short-range anti-aircraft defense weapons. Aviation is used, too. Of course, it would be better to destroy Shahed drones with less expensive mobile fire groups, explains the Air Force spokesman, but unfortunately, their effectiveness at night is not so great. On the other hand, some of the drones were actually destroyed by these groups last night, the officer added.

Background:

• On the night of 27-28 May, an air-raid warning was issued in Kyiv and a number of Ukraine’s oblasts. It lasted for more than 5 hours in the country’s capital. The air defence systems worked intensively, and Kyiv residents were kept awake by explosions.
• The Kyiv City Military Administration reported that preliminary information indicates that on the night of 28 May, more than 40 Russian UAVs were destroyed. At least one person was killed and one injured in the Ukrainian capital due to the falling debris. There is damage and destruction in the city.
• On the night of 27-28 May, Russia launched the most massive Iranian-made kamikaze drone attack on Ukraine so far; Russian forces fired 54 loitering munitions, and Ukraine's air defence forces destroyed 52 of them.

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