Russian Armed Forces increasingly deploy unidentified drones alongside Shaheds

Despite the vulnerabilities of these drones to electronic warfare, Russia is attempting to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses and conduct widespread reconnaissance.

Oct 5, 2024 - 14:00

Russian Armed Forces increasingly deploy unidentified drones alongside Shaheds

The HESA Shahed 136, or Geran-2 in Russian service. Photo: Depositphotos.

Russian Armed Forces are increasingly using unspecified types of drones, in addition to Shahed drones from Iran, which are regularly affected by Ukrainian electronic warfare systems and crash to the ground without causing harm.

This strategy aims to saturate Ukrainian air defenses and maintain aerial reconnaissance capabilities, even as many drones fall victim to electronic warfare. For Ukraine and its allies, this development underscores the need for continued advancement in air defense and counter-drone technologies to maintain battlefield advantages and protect civilian infrastructure.

As told by Colonel Yurii Ihnat, acting Head of Communications for the Ukrainian Armed Forces’ Air Force Command, in an interview with Ukrainska Pravda, specifically, Russian forces are increasingly using cheap UAVs, including the Gerbera drone, which are produced by them in three versions: electronic reconnaissance, kamikaze or decoy drones.

Defense Express notes that this type of 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 Ukrainian Air Force recalls that any Russian airborne asset is just a dot, a marker on air defense monitors. Only by examining the wreckage on the ground can it be determined what exactly was flying and what its payload was.

””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,” Ihnat said.

”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 defense forces,” Ihnat continued.

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

Ihnat emphasized that Russian forces are using a large number of airborne attack assets to overwhelm Ukrainian air defense and conduct aerial reconnaissance.

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