Ukraine's Air Force says light aircraft not effective against Shahed drones at night
Light aircraft cannot currently be used to shoot down Shahed drones during night-time attacks, although the Ukrainian command is looking for ways to use them in the future, Ukraine's Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat has said.
Source: Ihnat during the national joint 24/7 newscast
Quote: "The defence forces use all available methods to shoot [drones] down. As I've already noted, fighter jets, helicopters, mobile fire groups and electronic warfare were all employed [last night], and Unmanned Systems Forces have been strengthening our drone air defence capabilities.
Many experts have drawn attention to light aircraft. We've actually been using them for a while. Yak-52 planes are quite effective when the weather and visibility allow it – mainly against reconnaissance UAVs.
But we shouldn't rely on light aircraft in this context, especially given that the Shahed's warhead has now been increased to up to 90 kg. Light aircraft simply cannot operate at night."
Details: Ihnat stressed, however, that Ukraine is actively seeking ways to adapt light aircraft so that they can intercept Shahed drones.
Support Ukrainska Pravda on Patreon!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russia hits Ukraine with 206 drones, 9 missiles overnight, Air Force says
Russia attacked Ukraine with 206 Shahed combat drones and decoys, as well as nine missiles, overnight on June 7, Ukraine's Air Force reported. Ukrainian air defenses shot down six Kh-59/69 cruise missiles launched by Russian tactical aircraft from the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia Oblast and one Iskander-K cruise missile launched from Russia's Rostov region, according to the Air Force. Ukraine also downed 87 Russian combat drones, while 80 drones were neutralized by electronic warfare systems or disappeared from radar, the Air Force said. Russian airstrikes hit 10 undisclosed locations, while wreckage from downed aerial targets landed in seven more, the Air Force said. Earlier in the day, Kharkiv Oblast Governor Oleh Syniehubov reported that Russian forces attacked the city with drones, missiles, and KAB guided bombs overnight, killing at least three people and injuring 19. Located along the front line, Kharkiv Oblast in Ukraine's northeast is a regular target of Russian missile, drone, and glide bomb attacks from across the border. According to Dnipropetrovsk Oblast Governor Serhii Lysak, six missiles and 27 drones were also downed in his oblast, leaving two people injured in the regional capital. The attack took place just a day after Russia launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine, launching 452 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed kamikaze drones and 45 missiles of various types. It killed four people, including first responders, and injured 80 across the country. "A cynical Russian strike on ordinary cities. More than 400 drones, more than 40 missiles. ... We need to put pressure on Russia to (accept a ceasefire) and to stop the strikes," President Volodymyr Zelensky said. Read also: Ukraine war latest: Russia hits Ukraine with large-scale attack days after Operation Spiderweb; Ukraine targets Russian air bases in 'preemptive strike' We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
USA Today
2 hours ago
- USA Today
Cheap, fast and armed: U.S. looks to thwart Ukraine-style drone swarms
Cheap, fast and armed: U.S. looks to thwart Ukraine-style drone swarms Ukraine recently used inexpensive drones to inflict serious damage to Russia's strategic bomber fleet in an audacious attack. Show Caption Hide Caption Ukrainian drone attack hits Russian air force bases A large scale Ukrainian drone attack hit multiple Russian air force bases, significantly setting Russia back. A senior U.S. military official said it was only a matter of time before drones were used in a "mass casualty event" in the U.S. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases. Most were thought to be the work of hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace. WASHINGTON − Cheap weaponized drones pose a threat to military bases and civilians, leading a senior military official to predict they'll be used soon to inflict a 'mass-casualty event.' Ukraine underscored the risk to advanced military powers on June 1 when its inexpensive drones damaged or destroyed strategic warplanes across Russia. U.S. military bases, and targets like major sports events, share similar vulnerabilities, officials say. Neither the Pentagon, nor the militaries of other developed countries, has figured out how to defend against swarms of small drones packed with explosives, according to the military official, who has been briefed on counter-drone efforts but was not authorized to speak publicly. More: Russia's 'Pearl Harbor': What to know about Ukraine's audacious drone strike We're not even close, the official said. No one is. The threat from drones to military isn't just overseas. Last year, the military tallied 350 drone incursions on domestic bases, according to U.S. Northern Command. Most of those were probably hobbyists who strayed into restricted airspace, the defense official said. Some, however, could have been from foreign adversaries spying on the military. And some wonder if they could have carried explosives. More: Ukraine drone attack shows familiar-looking drones can be terrifying weapons How does the Pentagon, which spends nearly a trillion dollars a year on defense, have such a vulnerability? What's being done to address it, and how future of drone warfare plays out gains greater and greater urgency for lawmakers and military planners as technology improves almost daily. For the better part of two decades, the Pentagon had unmatched superiority in drone technology. Early in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, Predator and later Reaper drones armed with Hellfire missiles allowed pilots in dark bases in the Nevada desert to attack militant targets in the Middle East. A Reaper costs about $28 million, according to the Congressional Research Service. For a fraction of that cost today, a small drone can be weaponized and flown to its target and deliver devastating effects, too. 'At a cost of a mere tens of thousands of dollars, Ukraine inflicted billions in damage, potentially setting back Russia's bomber capabilities for years,' Army Secretary Dan Driscoll testified to Congress this week. 'The world saw in near-real time how readily available technology can disrupt established power dynamics.' Ukraine has been at the forefront of militarized drone development. By necessity, it needs a cheap alternative to thwart Russia, a country with a far larger military force that has advantages in conventional weapons like warplanes, tanks and artillery. Ukraine deployed first-person view, or FPV drones, in its attack on the Russian airfields. FPV drones allow a pilot with a headset to steer the aircraft to its target. That technology has proliferated and gotten relatively cheap in recent years. You can buy an FPV drone on Amazon for under $700. The Ukrainian military has refined technology for small drones and improves nearly weekly to offset Russian countermeasures, the defense official said. Fatal attack The Pentagon is painfully aware of the threat. In January 2024 militants in Jordan launched a drone attack on an outpost in the desert as soldiers slept in their quarters. Three died when the drone slammed into their building. Realizing the urgency of the threat, the Pentagon began funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into counter-drone weaponry. That includes electronic jamming devices that can sever the link between the operator and the drone, rendering it harmless. Small missiles can be fired at drones at a distance, and shotgun-type weapons can be used for those closer in, the official said. Even nets can be used to snag drones in the air before they reach their target. Defending against a swarm of small drones is a tough problem, the official said. There's no simple solution. On Capitol Hill, Sen. Roger Wicker, the Republican chairman of the Armed Services Committee, assured Army officials that Congress is prepared to spend billions on drone defense. Before senators and Army officials retreated to discuss the drone threat in secret, Driscoll raised another alarm about the threat. 'We are not doing enough,' he said. 'The current status quo is not sufficient.'
2 hours ago
Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight kill 7 and injure at least 41
LONDON -- At least seven people were killed and 41 others were injured in massive Russian strikes across Ukraine overnight, which targeted civilian and energy infrastructure, Ukrainian authorities said Saturday morning. "Russia continues its terror against civilians," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said in a social media post on Saturday morning. "Hundreds of drones and missiles rained down on Ukraine overnight. Kharkiv had a particularly terrible night." In the northeastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, Russian strikes killed three people and injured another 21. Among those injured was an infant and a 14-year-old girl, according to Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov. An additional person was injured in the city of Kupyansk, southeast of Kharkiv, in the surrounding region, according to Kharkiv Oblast Gov. Oleh Syniehubov. Russia attacked Kharkiv with 48 drones, five guided aerial bombs, four MLRS and three missiles, targeting homes and civilian infrastructure facilities in the city's Kyivskyi and Osnovianskyi districts, according to Syniehubov. Meanwhile, Russian strikes killed two people -- a married couple, aged 56 and 54 -- in the southern Ukrainian port city of Kherson and injured another 10 people in the surrounding region, according to Kherson Oblast Gov. Olexandr Prokudin. In eastern Ukraine's Donetsk Oblast, two people were killed and eight others were injured in Russian strikes, according to Gov. Vadym Filashkin. And in northeastern Ukraine's Sumy Oblast, Russian strikes injured one person, according to the regional administration. Across Ukraine overnight, Russia launched a total of 215 projectiles -- 206 drones, two ballistic missiles, six guided aircraft missiles and one cruise missile -- of which 174 were neutralized, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. "There were strikes throughout Ukraine -- in the Donetsk, Dnipro, Ternopil, Odesa, and other regions," the foreign minister said. "People were injured and killed, and the energy infrastructure was also damaged." Sybiha added: "To put an end to Russia's killing and destruction, more pressure on Moscow is required, as are more steps to strengthen Ukraine. Russia is a terrorist state, and it must be called such. It has already done more than enough to earn this title."
