Russia's jet-powered Shaheds are a looming new threat, but Ukraine says it already has drones that can counter them

"A top Ukrainian official said Kyiv's forces already have interceptor drones that can destroy Russia's jet-powered Shahed, an emerging threat that's sparking concerns locally for its much greater speed. "We have interceptor drones capable of fighting the Shaheds with jet engines. The enemy is developing, and we are not standing still," said Pavlo Palisa, the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, in a video interview on Monday with local media outlet Noviny Live."

"Palisa said Ukraine is continuing to develop more first-person-view, or FPV, drones that can contribute to an "optimal" air defense system covering various altitudes and distances. "Russia is also modifying its drones; they are already flying with jet engines, and we also have responses and protection against this in our FPV developments," he told Noviny Live."

"The new Russian drones are known as the Geran-3, a domestically produced version of the Iranian Shahed-238 one-way loitering munition. The Geran-3 uses a turbojet, allowing it to fly much faster than the Geran-2, which is modeled after the propeller-driven Shahed-136 and is now the staple of Russia's large-scale bombardments against Ukraine. While the Geran-2 is known to fly at roughly 115 miles per hour and have a range of about 620 miles, the Geran-3 has been reported to fly at 230 miles per hour and have at least equal range."

Kyiv already fields interceptor drones able to engage Russia's jet-powered Shahed-class loitering munitions. Development of first-person-view (FPV) interceptors is ongoing to build an air defense layered across altitudes and distances. Russia has modified some attack drones to use turbojet engines, producing the Geran-3 as a domestic variant of the Iranian Shahed-238. The Geran-3 flies significantly faster than the propeller-driven Geran-2. Geran-2 typically cruises around 115 miles per hour with about 620 miles range, while Geran-3 has been reported near 230 miles per hour with comparable range. Mass employment of faster drones remains a major defensive challenge.

Read at Business Insider