No weapon yet that can radically shift fight against Shahed drones – aviation expert
global.espreso.tv
Tue, 05 Aug 2025 12:47:00 +0300

Ukrainian aviation expert Kostyantyn Kryvolap said this live on Espreso TV."There’s no weapon right now that could be a game changer, and Shaheds keep coming. They’re the most difficult targets for air defense," Kryvolap noted.The expert described how Ukraine’s air defense works against the drones."First, fighters, regular infantry, spot the Shaheds and try to shoot them down. Sometimes they manage and earn 30 electronic points. Then army aviation, mainly helicopters, engages them with machine guns, but there aren’t enough helicopters. Next, Shaheds can be hit by various anti-aircraft systems with relatively cheap missiles. Finally, mobile fire groups get involved. These groups can target drones up to 2,000 kilometers away, but it’s hard for them to go beyond that," Kryvolap explained.He also noted that Shaheds often fly low, and Ukraine lacks a continuous radar network to track them."We don't want to raise radars into the air like the rest of the world does, we want to keep them fixed on masts. So the Shaheds slip into cities. Once in urban areas, either mobile fire groups or drone interceptor teams try to take them down again.""If the drones fly where an interceptor is working, it can shoot them down. But people need to understand, taking out one Shahed takes three to ten interceptor drones," Kryvolap added.In the early hours of Tuesday, August 5, Russian forces launched another strike on Ukraine using kamikaze drones and Iskander-M missiles. Most incoming targets were shot down by air defense.
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