Ukraine needs to densify radar coverage, says drone technology expert
global.espreso.tv
Sat, 25 Oct 2025 18:10:00 +0300

Valeriy Yakovenko, co-founder of DroneUA and an expert in unmanned systems, said on Espreso.“There will never be enough. It’s not only about equipment but about trained personnel who can operate these systems. We also use other aviation assets, including helicopter groups. It’s not just about aircraft and air-to-air missiles,” he explained.Yakovenko added that every aerial target must be shot down.“That means our toolkit must be as wide as possible and operate in full synchrony. I want to stress the need to densify radar coverage: it’s not enough to detect targets along the front line — when they penetrate inland we must track them as well. So we urgently need help obtaining intelligence and deploying a dense network of radars that can detect such types of aerial targets,” the expert said.He argued that only with a combined approach can Ukraine best protect its skies.“Important point: none of these tools, no air-to-air missile, regardless of quantity, gives a 100% guarantee of destroying targets. There’s always a probability. The more different tools we have, the more launch platforms, the more missile and drone systems capable of intercepting targets at various speeds — the higher the probability gets, approaching 100. But it will never be 100%,” Yakovenko stressed.The expert noted that the only way to be 100% sure of air safety is to eliminate the enemy near our borders.“So — whatever partners provide, first, we must be very grateful. Second, this equipment must arrive as quickly as possible. These autumn strikes began on October 10. Deliveries of this equipment should have happened then — and not just deliveries, but active operation. Looking ahead, Ukraine must receive as much as possible; it will always be insufficient. We need to aim for quantities that for European countries may sound unattainable. When Ukraine talks about tens of millions or millions of Ukrainian drones being produced, at first they don’t believe it, then they realize it’s true — and it is being used intensively to pressure the enemy. The intensity is very high across all directions,” he concluded.









