26 July 2024

Russians launch plywood UAVs to determine positions of Ukraine's air defense

Russian troops occupy around 18% of Ukrainian territory and have been making incremental gains in the east in recent months, putting Kyiv on the back foot along a 1,000-km (600-mile) front line.

Russians launch plywood UAVs to determine positions of Ukraine's air defence

Russia has begun using new plywood and camera drones in its attacks on Ukraine to locate Ukrainian air defenses.

Source: Andrii Cherniak, representative of Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, in a comment to Reuters

Details: According to intelligence, some of the drones have a camera and a Ukrainian SIM card to send images from the battlefield back to the Russians. The drones are made of foam and plywood.

Quote: "They identify where our mobile groups are positioned, where the machine guns are that can destroy them. They're trying ... to get a picture of where all our air defenses are located."

Details: According to Cherniak, the drones do not carry any explosives, fly in groups, and resemble Shahed UAVs. They cost around US$10,000 per drone, making them significantly cheaper to construct than air defense missiles.

These drones can also fly at a height of one kilometer, where they cannot be reached with machine guns or rifle

Item 1 of 4 A view shows an explosion of shot down Russian drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer

SOFREP

7 hours ago

Ukraine Uses Cheap Sensors Against Russian Drone Waves | SOFREP

[1/4]A view shows an explosion of shot down Russian drone, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kherson, Ukraine July 26, 2024. REUTERS/Stringer

LONDON, July 26 (Reuters) - Russia has begun including new, cheaply-made drones in its long-range attacks on Ukraine, to try to identify air defenses, film any damage and act as decoys, a Ukrainian military spy official said.

The two new types of drone, which Russia has used in five drone attacks in the last two to three weeks including an overnight strike on Thursday, are produced from materials like foam plastic and plywood, the official told Reuters.

One type carries a camera and a Ukrainian mobile phone SIM card to send images back to the Russian military.

"They identify where our mobile groups are positioned, where the machine guns are that can destroy them. They're trying ... to get a picture of where all our air defenses are located," said Andriy Cherniak, a military spy agency spokesperson.

The previously unreported details from Cherniak are further evidence of Russia seeking to adapt its tactics and try new technology to gain an edge during its daily missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

Iranian-designed Shahed attack drones, which fly to their target and detonate on impact, have become a staple of Russian aerial attacks since they began being used in the first year of Russia's full-scale invasion launched in February 2022.

Ukraine, which has been appealing to the West to provide more air defences to repel increased Russian airstrikes on its power facilities since March, tries hard to conceal the locations of its air defence systems.
The new Russian drones with cameras do not carry explosives but closely resemble regular Shahed drones and fly with groups of them, Cherniak said.

The second new type of drone contains no explosive charge or only a small one and is being used as a decoy, Cherniak added.
Because it is virtually indistinguishable from a regular attack drone from the ground, it still needs to be shot down, revealing where Ukraine's air defense systems are located.

He said the new drones probably cost as little as $10,000 each despite their long range, making them far cheaper to produce than air defence missiles.

The drones can also fly at an altitude of 1,000 m (3,000 ft), putting them out of range of machine guns and automatic rifles, he said.

VOI

7 hours ago

Russia Deploys Cheap Drones Spying On Ukraine's Defense System

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has served as a testing ground for drone warfare technology, with both sides using attack and reconnaissance drones on the battlefield extensively. Kyiv has poured energy into domestic drone production to narrow the gap between its strike capabilities and Moscow's, staging long-range drone attacks on Russian targets including oil refineries.

Russia says its long-range aerial attacks are used to degrade Ukraine militarily. Ukraine says Russia's attacks have hit civilian buildings and caused serious damage to civilian energy facilities and loss of civilian life.

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Reporting by Tom Balmforth; editing by Mike Collett-White and Philippa Fletcher