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Russia Increases Jet-Powered Drone Attacks on Ukraine Eightfold, Launching 2,800 in August
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Russia increased the intensity of its jet-powered drone attacks on Ukraine more than eightfold over the summer, launching around 2,800 such drones in August compared with roughly 350 in June, The Moscow Times reported on September 13, citing The Times.
Jet-powered drones travel significantly faster than older propeller-driven models, reducing the time available for Ukrainian air defenses to detect and intercept incoming targets.
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Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said Russia launched around 800 jet-powered drones over just four days in late August, with most of them targeting Kyiv. According to Ihnat, the drones are being deployed in combat almost immediately after leaving production lines, according to The Moscow Times.
Russia currently uses two main types of jet-powered strike drones. One is the Geran, based on Iran’s Shahed design. Its latest fifth-generation version can reach speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour, carry a warhead weighing up to 90 kilograms, and travel approximately 1,000 kilometers.
The second system, the Banderol jet-powered drone, has been used since the summer. It can reach speeds of up to 595 kilometers per hour, has a range of up to 480 kilometers, and can carry a 114-kilogram payload.
Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, a Ukrainian Air Force reserve officer and head of an air defense company, said the systems effectively provide Russia with a lower-cost alternative to cruise missiles. Their increased speed has sharply reduced the reaction window available to Ukrainian mobile fire teams, the outlet reported.
According to Khrapchynskyi, crews previously had around one minute to detect and engage older Shahed drones. Against jet-powered models, that window has fallen to approximately six seconds.
The higher speeds have also affected interception rates. Ihnat estimated that Ukraine can intercept up to 95% of older Shahed models, while the interception rate for jet-powered drones stands at around 60%.
The pressure intensified further in late August and into September, when Russia subjected Kyiv to an almost continuous two-week drone barrage, striking warehouses, civilian infrastructure, educational facilities, and other sites across the capital and surrounding region.
As a result, Ukraine is increasingly forced to use more expensive air defense assets against the faster drones, including scarce Patriot interceptor missiles as well as F-16, Mirage, and MiG-29 fighter aircraft.
A Ukrainian fighter pilot previously said even an older MiG can shoot down roughly a dozen jet-powered Shahed-type drones in a single mission, underscoring the importance of crewed aircraft in Ukraine’s multi-layered air defense system.
“Financially it’s painful, but that’s our purpose,” the pilot said. “In a single sortie even an old MiG can take out a dozen or so. You have to understand that since there aren’t many other options, you end up relying on skill and experience.”
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Despite the higher cost of operating fighter aircraft, the pilot said their use against such drones remains justified, as intercepting aerial threats is a core function of combat aviation within Ukraine’s broader air defense network.
At the same time, Ukraine aims to have its first FREYJA anti-ballistic defense system completed by the end of 2026, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on September 10, as the country pushes ahead with developing a domestically produced defense against ballistic missile threats with support from an expanding group of international partners.
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