Skibitskyi: Russia Upgrading Missiles And Drones For Intensified Combined Strikes On Ukraine

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Deputy Chief of the Defense Intelligence Directorate of Ukraine Vadym Skibitskyi reported this in an interview with Ukrinform .

“We can clearly see the modernization and improvement of missile weapons and unmanned aerial systems by the Russian Federation as a result of their strikes against our country, primarily targeting civilian infrastructure and our enterprises. First of all, the strikes will in any case be combined, involving UAVs of various types, including so-called decoys, and cruise missiles of different launch platforms - sea-based Kalibr, air-based Kh-101 and Kh-32, and land-based Iskander. The enemy can use both ballistic and cruise missiles. But what do we see? First, a change in strike tactics. Second, the use of modernized weapons,” Skibitskyi said.

He noted that the tactics for using Shahed drones have changed drastically since the beginning of the war. If earlier they flew directly at the target, now they can circle around Kyiv for several hours and change altitude.

In addition, missiles are also being modernized. For example, the Kh-101 cruise missile now has new features - electronic warfare devices and a dual warhead. The enemy is also upgrading navigation and guidance systems to overcome Ukraine's electronic warfare systems.

“In other words, there is an ongoing evolution, constant improvement of all means of armed combat and strikes. That is why saying the enemy will stop at some stage would be wrong. For example, the Kometa system used to have 8 channels, then 12, now 16, and in the future, it will already be 32-channel, which will make it possible to overcome electronic warfare systems. So, this process will be continuous for the enemy - improving and increasing the effectiveness of strikes through greater accuracy, among other things. Accordingly, our task is to effectively counter this,” Skibitskyi emphasized.

Read also: Russia damages over 10 locations in Kyiv – Tkachenko

As Ukrinform reported, during the night of September 7 (starting at 17:00 on September 6), the enemy launched a combined attack on Ukraine using strike UAVs and ground-launched missiles. During the attack, the Air Force's radar units detected and tracked a total of 818 aerial threats. As of 8:30 on September 7, air defense forces had shot down or suppressed 751 aerial targets: 747 enemy Shahed-type drones and imitation drones of various types, as well as 4 Iskander-K cruise missiles.

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