Russians increasingly deploy unidentified drones alongside Shaheds, Air Force reports

The Russians are increasingly using unspecified types of drones, in addition to Shahed drones, which are often affected by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems and crash to the ground without causing harm.

Source: Colonel Yurii Ihnat, Acting Head of Communications for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Air Force Command, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda

Details: In particular, commenting on the results of the air battle on the night of 4-5 October, Ihnat said that three Shahed drones had been shot down, while the remaining ten UAVs were lost in the southern and northern regions. There is a high degree of certainty that these could have been drones of other types, the identification of which is conducted by specialists on the ground once they are detected.

Specifically, the Russians are increasingly using cheap UAVs, including the Gerbera drone, which are produced by them in three versions: electronic reconnaissance, kamikaze or decoy  drones. As reported by Defense Express, this drone has a foam fuselage and is assembled with a rather low production quality, which means it can "cease to exist" on its own, i.e., it may crash.

At the same time, the Air Force recalls that any Russian airborne asset is just a dot, a marker on air defence monitors. Only by examining the wreckage on the ground can it be determined what exactly was flying and what its payload was.

Quote: "Location lost' is a term that the Air Force has been using for some time in their morning reports. It refers to a target that was tracked by the Air Force's air surveillance units – whether it was an enemy strike or reconnaissance UAV – that disappears from radar. This usually indicates that the drone either ran out of fuel or crashed due to the impact of the electronic warfare systems employed by the defence forces."

Details: The latest report from the Air Force states that 10 out of 13 UAVs had disappeared from radar, with no confirmed information about any damage caused by their crashes. 

The Air Force also recalled that there have been multiple instances where Russian targets have returned to Russian or Belarusian territory. 

Ihnat emphasised that the Russians are using a large number of airborne attack assets to overwhelm Ukrainian air defence and conduct aerial reconnaissance. 

The officer also stressed an urgent request to citizens: "If you come across any suspicious objects resembling UAVs, please do not take any action on your own. Instead, promptly notify law enforcement, the State Emergency Service or military administrations."

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