Air Force To Establish New Branch Of Troops Unmanned Air Defense Systems Forces

(MENAFN- UkrinForm) Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi announced this while speaking with journalists.

“Protecting civilians, safeguarding critical facilities and infrastructure from enemy air attacks – this is the top priority for the government, the President, and the Defense Forces. To address this issue, alongside increasing the number of air defense systems, we are also developing other areas that are effective in countering the enemy's aerial threats. We are already in the process of creating a new branch within our Air Force – Unmanned Air Defense Systems Forces,” Syrskyi stated.

According to him, this refers to domestically produced and foreign-made interceptor drones that destroy Shahed drones with high efficiency, 70% and above. Units equipped with these interceptor drones are now being created and expanded, along with a command structure dedicated specifically to them. The General Staff is also developing other fields, including increasing the number of combat helicopters, which have proven highly effective in countering drones.

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“Depending on weather conditions, our helicopters sometimes shoot down up to 40% of drones in their areas. Therefore, we are scaling up this approach as well. These helicopters need to be equipped with specialized systems that enable detection of the enemy – day and night, in all weather conditions, with thermal imaging and infrared modes,” Syrskyi emphasized.

In addition, the Commander-in-Chief noted that there are plans to develop light aircraft with mounted machine guns, which have also demonstrated effectiveness in combating Shahed drones.

“We are studying the option of acquiring specialized light aircraft for this purpose,” Syrskyi said. According to him, work is also underway to increase both the quantity and quality of electronic warfare systems.

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“Our task is to ensure triple or quadruple coverage of facilities with EW systems. Everything available to expand our radar field is being used, integrated into a single system. We have automated control systems. Interception lines are being created. In particular, drones are intercepted already at the first line, as soon as they cross the frontline,” the Commander-in-Chief explained.

As reported by Ukrinform, Ukraine's Defense Forces neutralized 128 Russian drones of various types out of 154 launched in attacks on Ukraine starting on the evening of September 25.

Photo: in

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