Russia has increased its use of jet-powered drones against Ukraine by more than 700% since June

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, confirmed by British intelligence sources, Russia launched approximately 2,800 jet-powered drones in August, compared to 350 in June.

This was reported by The Sunday Times.

Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat specified that in just the last days of August, around 800 drones were launched over four days, predominantly targeting the capital.

“The enemy is sending these drones into battle practically straight off the assembly line,” Ignat said.

The key advantage of jet-powered drones over conventional ones is speed. Military expert Anatoly Khrapchinsky explained that a standard propeller-driven Shahed gives mobile fire groups about 60 seconds to detect and destroy a target, whereas a jet-powered drone leaves only about six seconds.

“Essentially, these drones function as low-cost mass-produced cruise missiles,” Khrapchinsky explained.

A decline in interception effectiveness has been one of the main consequences of Russia’s switch to the new models. According to Ignat, the old Shahed drones could be shot down with an effectiveness of up to 95%, whereas for jet-powered drones that figure stands at around 60%. Russia has also begun using them more frequently during daytime.

Ukraine is developing its own jet-powered interceptor drones. The Sunday Times notes that a solution must be found before winter, when the intensity of Russian air attacks could rise again.

Previously, The New York Times reported that Russia’s jet-powered drones were sowing panic in Ukraine. The British newspaper The Telegraph reported that the Banderol missile played a key role in Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian ports.