Russian specialists have managed to capture and examine a new Ukrainian kamikaze drone equipped with a jet engine.
Since the beginning of the conflict in February 2022, Ukrainian forces have fielded better drones than Russian forces and used them effectively to keep Russian forces on the back foot.
Recall how Russia was forced to seek Iran’s help to level the playing field somewhat through the acquisition of Geran-2 (Shahed) drones.
During the past two years, Ukrainian long-range kamikaze drones have repeatedly penetrated deep into Russian airspace to strike military and energy infrastructure targets. Ukraine has even been able to hit Moscow several times, outwitting Russian air defenses.
The effectiveness of Ukrainian drone strikes has, to some extent, made up for Ukraine’s inability to use NATO long-range missiles such as the Anglo-French Storm Shadow / Scalp due to supplier-mandated constraints on their usage.
Lucky Break For Russia
The capture of the advanced Ukrainian jet-powered drone will give Russia a chance to analyze the tactical responses coded into the drone and possibly counter Ukraine’s long-range drones more effectively.
According to Dmitry Kuzyakin, general director of the Center for Complex Unmanned Solutions, when approaching an air defense or (Electronic Warfare) EW zone, the drone is observed to accelerate and gain speed.
“We have managed to study the Ukrainian kamikaze drone. This is the enemy’s fundamentally new design – the UAV is equipped with a jet engine.”
The use of a jet engine makes the drone more expensive and reduces flight range, but it has other advantages.
The Center for Complex Unmanned Solutions studied the drone to obtain data that may help negate the advantages of the jet-powered drone. Dmitry Kuzyakin claimed that the results of the examination have already been delivered to facilitate the development of countermeasures.
A few words about the Center for Complex Unmanned Solutions. The center focuses on the full cycle of FPV systems combat application issues, from training in piloting and effective use to the production of the drones themselves.
Over the years, the company has created the Joker line of combat FPV drones and supporting ground equipment. The company’s product, the Joker-10 drone, can carry a 5 kg payload at speeds up to 100 kph. Without a payload, it can reach speeds up to 200 kph.
Ukraine’s Long-Range Propeller Drones
Long-range Ukrainian kamikaze drones typically feature a propeller-based power plant. The following are three well-known Ukrainian long-range drones.
Ukrjet UJ-22 Airborne is a single-engine drone with a tractor (nose-mounted) propeller and conventional airframe design. Its 3.7 m length and 4.2 m wingspan make it one of the largest kamikaze drones in Ukrainian service. It can carry a 20 kg bomb load, internally or externally, to a range of 800 km.
The UJ-26 Beaver features a shark-like airframe with canards, a sleek fuselage, and an inverted tail. Powered by a tail-mounted engine with a pusher propeller, it can carry a 20 kg explosives load to a range of 1,000 km.
Ukrainian forces have used both UJ-22 and UJ-26 to strike Moscow.
The Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe drone has a box-like fuselage and tandem wings. The high-mounted front wings have drooping wingtip winglets. The drone is powered by a tail-mounted engine with a pusher propeller. It can carry a 32 kg payload to a range of 750 km.
Jet Powered Drones
Typically, long-range kamikaze drones fly at low altitudes to minimize radar detection. The detection range of an air defense (AD) radar system reduces with target height on account of the reduced radio horizon, which is based on line of sight. If AD radars are deployed close to each other, drones cannot evade detection.
Jet-powered drones are less prone to adversary missile engagement. Because of their higher speeds, they are exposed to radar detection and tracking for shorter periods than slower-moving propeller-driven drones.
UJ-25 Skyline
Ukraine’s best-known jet-powered drone is the UJ-25 Skyline, which was developed from the UJ-23 Topaz target drone.
Both drones look like stealth missiles, featuring forward-swept wings, a V-tail, and top-mounted air intakes at the rear of the fuselage.
The UJ-25 is designed as a loitering munition capable of staying airborne for extended periods before striking its target. The UJ-25 Skyline is known to have been used in a Ukrainian strike on Berdyansk, where it was found embedded in the roof of a building.
Ukraine has used several other jet-powered drones against Russian targets, including the British Banshee target drones. (India also uses the Banshee.) The other jet-powered drones remain unidentified.
On February 7, 2024, Russian social media carried pictures of an unidentified crashed jet-powered kamikaze drone with a ventral rear jet intake. Later, on June 27, 2024, Russian social media carried pictures of a crashed jet-powered flying wing drone powered by a single commercially available SW140B turbine.
Conclusion
Unlike manned operational aircraft, where the tactics employed are stored in the pilot’s head, in long-range autonomous drones, the tactics employed are stored algorithmically on computer chips. Consequently, it becomes possible for the adversary capturing a drone to find out how the drone evades defenses.
So Dmitry Kuzyakin is on the mark when he says, “The analysis of each of these ‘birds’ tells us much more about him than any agent or captured drone operator.”
- Vijainder K Thakur is a retired IAF Jaguar pilot, author, software architect, entrepreneur, and military analyst.
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