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Ukraine faces shortage of air-to-air missiles as Russia increases use of rapid jet-powered drones

Ukrainian pilots are being forced to use aircraft cannons to down Russian jet-powered drones due to a shortage of air-to-air missiles. Yurii Ihnat, head of the Air Force communications department, stated that Russia has dramatically increased the number of jet-powered attack drones launched in recent weeks, with 2,800 launched in August alone. These drones fly at speeds exceeding 400 km/h, making them more difficult to intercept than older, slower models. To counter this threat, Ukrainian defense companies are intensifying efforts to develop new interceptors. Companies such as General Cherry, Grim Tech, and BlueBird Tech are developing jet-powered interceptors designed to make the targets they strike cheaper than the cost of the drones themselves. Additionally, the Dignitas Charitable Foundation has provided 23 mobile command posts for interceptor drones to the Ukrainian Defense Forces. The administration announced that the new jet-powered drones are a significant challenge, as they are faster than the previous generation. Ukraine is deploying its fleet of fighter jets, including Soviet-era MiG-29s, U.S.-made F-16s, and French-made Mirage 2000s, to combat these rapid munitions.

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