Ukraine expects increased attacks on its critical infrastructure in the winter. Kiev’s armed forces have prepared with a “drone hunter” from the USA.
Kiev – President Volodymyr Zelenskyj has repeatedly warned his Ukraine: Russia will most likely attack critical infrastructure again in the winter in order to harm the Ukrainian civilian population, according to his thesis.
Russian attacks on infrastructure: Ukrainians are now also using unmanned drone hunters
“We must be prepared for the possibility that the enemy will increase the number of drone and missile attacks on our infrastructure. “Russia is preparing for winter, and all our attention in Ukraine should be focused on defense and responding to terrorists,” Zelensky said in a video address in mid-November: “On everything that Ukraine can do to help our people “To make it easier to survive this winter.”
A look back: In the winter of 2021/22, Kremlin autocrat Vladimir Putin’s Russian army attempted to attack civilian infrastructure primarily with shaded drones produced in Iran. The Ukrainians are now using heavy machine guns on pickup trucks to knock the kamikaze drones out of the sky with volleys of ammunition. The 49 German Gepard anti-aircraft gun tanks delivered also serve this purpose. Now the Ukrainian army has introduced an innovative new product: “drone hunters”, which are themselves drones. How it works?
With quadcopter drones that hunt in the air like fishing with nets. The Ukrainian armed forces presented the “DroneHunter F700” on their Facebook account. The aerospace company Fortem Technologies from Utah (USA) developed this drone fighter specifically for the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine’s drone hunters: Countering Russian attacks with kamikaze drones
“Fully autonomous, radar-controlled and specifically designed for superior speed and agility, it stops malicious drones day and night without causing costly collateral damage,” the American drone developer explained, according to the Ukrainian online portal Defense Express. According to Fortem Technologies, a “DroneHunter F700” can take out up to two enemy drones during the same flight thanks to twice the fire capacity of the anti-UAV system. A demonstration video from the Ukrainian army shows: The “drone hunters” can shoot two nets at one target while in full flight. They are controlled by a drone pilot on the ground.
The net traps the enemy kamikaze drone without it exploding when it crashes. And so still causes damage. At least that’s the theory. A YouTube video from the US company is said to show the “catch” of an attack drone the size of a Shaded.
Ukraine’s drone hunters: General Zalushnyj wants more combat drones equipped with safety nets
“Drones must be part of our response. Ukraine needs to carry out massive attacks using decoy and attack drones to overload Russian air defense systems. We must hunt down Russian drones using our own combat drones equipped with arresting nets,” said General Valery Zalushny, Commander-in-Chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, in a recent op-ed for The Economist.
We must hunt down Russian drones using our own combat drones equipped with arresting nets.
Military analyst Stefan Gady advised after a visit to the front in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung (SZ) also on the “mass production of electronic weapons, especially jammers and attack drones”. In a figurative sense, the “DroneHunter F700” is such an attack drone – it attacks other unmanned aerial vehicles. In tests, only 15 percent of target drones escaped the first shot, writes Defense Express.
“DroneHunter F700” from Ukraine: operations at altitudes of up to 4000 meters
There are a number of advantages: Back at the base, the drone’s battery can be recharged in less than three minutes, the report says. The time for air operations under high pressure is between 20 and 40 minutes – at an altitude of up to 4,000 meters. The 16 kilogram (and therefore comparatively robust) quadrocopter reportedly reaches a top speed of up to 65 km/h.
Another advantage: “Captured” drones can be dismantled and examined, explains the manufacturer. According to various reports, the Ukrainians are currently working hard to improve in the area of electronic and digital warfare, while the regime of Moscow autocrat Vladimir Putin is sending Russian soldiers onto the battlefield, some with ancient tanks. (pm)
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