Key facts
- Ukrainian pilots are using aircraft cannons to down Russian jet-powered drones due to a shortage of air-to-air missiles.
- Russia launched approximately 1,500 jet-powered drones in July and 2,800 in August.
- The newer jet-powered drones fly at speeds exceeding 400 km/h.
- Ukraine is deploying MiG-29s, F-16s, and Mirage 2000s to combat the drones.
- Recent Russian attacks on Kyiv have resulted in multiple fatalities and injuries.
Ukrainian pilots are increasingly resorting to using aircraft cannons to down Russian jet-powered drones due to a critical shortage of air-to-air missiles, Yurii Ihnat, head of the Air Force communications department, told the Kyiv Independent on September 10. Russia has significantly ramped up its deployment of these faster drones, leading to intense air battles and a rapid depletion of Ukraine's missile stockpiles.
Ihnat stated that Russia launched approximately 1,500 jet-powered drones in July and 2,800 in August. While Ukraine has had success intercepting older, piston-engined drones, the newer jet-powered models, which fly at speeds exceeding 400 km/h, pose a greater challenge. Ukrainian fighter jets, including Soviet-era MiG-29s, U.S.-made F-16s, and French-made Mirage 2000s, are being used to counter these threats. However, the lack of missiles forces pilots into risky maneuvers at close range to engage the high-speed targets with cannons.
Russia's attacks on Kyiv have intensified, with recent strikes causing casualties and damage. On September 10, a drone attack injured four people and damaged a gas station. The previous day, drone strikes on residential buildings killed one person and injured 17. A larger attack on September 8 resulted in five deaths and 35 injuries, with significant fires across the city. Russia has previously targeted gas stations to disrupt logistics, a tactic that has expanded to central regions.