Russian forces deployed over four thousand jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles in October
Throughout October, Russian forces launched nearly 360 Banderol and Dan-T munitions, over 4.7 thousand standard drones, and more than four thousand jet-powered UAVs across Ukraine. This was reported by Ukrinform citing Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, according to the portal PromPolitInform.
In addition to unmanned aerial vehicles, the enemy deployed approximately 150 ballistic missiles and 80 cruise and aviation missiles over the past month. A significant portion of the launched drones and cruise missiles was successfully intercepted by defense forces.
However, the situation regarding ballistic weapons remains complicated due to a shortage of specialized interceptors. Specifically, the Ukrainian military lacks PAC-3 missiles for American Patriot air defense systems.
Massive UAV attacks
Over the past two days, Russian forces deployed more than a thousand drones for strikes. These were primarily older UAVs equipped with internal combustion engines, alongside a substantial number of jet-powered apparatuses.
The devices moved through central regions of Ukraine toward the western oblasts. Launching such a large volume of targets significantly complicates air defense operations due to the necessity of continuously dispersing defense assets.
Round-the-clock air defense operations
Military management bodies and tactical groups make decisions regarding the deployment of necessary assets in specific directions. Troops establish additional firing lines and operate around the clock on a 24/7 basis.
«This work never stops at all. As you can see, there is little respite right now… We depend on supplies today, on the assets we desperately need today to protect the country specifically from such types as jet UAVs», Ignat emphasized.
Weather impact on defense
The effectiveness of utilizing various air defense assets depends heavily on weather conditions. Specifically, during heavy fog or dense cloud cover, mobile fire groups find it extremely difficult to operate.
This also applies to systems employing laser or infrared target guidance. Meanwhile, aviation and other units continue carrying out combat missions despite the complexity of these processes.
Photo: Facebook/Yuriy Ignat
