A shortage of air-to-air missiles is forcing Ukrainian fighter pilots to use aircraft cannons to intercept high-speed Russian drones.
Key facts
- •Ukrainian pilots must perform precise maneuvers to engage targets with cannons at speeds over 400 km/h.
- •The Air Force is utilizing Soviet-era MiG-29s alongside U.S.-made F-16s and French-made Mirage 2000s to counter the drones.
- •Russia has increasingly targeted gas stations to disrupt fuel supplies and logistics, a tactic that spread to central regions by August.
- •Russian drone attacks on Kyiv resumed shortly after a visit to the city by U.S. envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Ukrainian pilots are increasingly relying on aircraft cannons to down Russian jet-powered drones due to a critical shortage of air-to-air missiles. Yurii Ihnat, head of the Air Force communications department, confirmed on Sept. 10 that the surge in drone attacks has strained missile supplies for Ukraine's fleet of MiG-29s, F-16s, and Mirage 2000s.
By the numbers
Escalating Drone Attacks
Russia has significantly increased its use of jet-powered attack drones, which fly at speeds exceeding 400 km/h. According to Ihnat, Russia launched approximately 1,500 of these drones in July and 2,800 in August. These newer models present a greater challenge than older, slower piston-engined drones that Ukraine previously intercepted with specialized drones.
Impact on Kyiv
Recent attacks have caused casualties and damage across Kyiv. On Sept. 10, a drone strike in the Holosiivskyi district injured four people and damaged a gas station. The previous day, strikes on residential buildings killed one person and injured at least 17, including two children. A larger attack on Sept. 8 resulted in five deaths and 35 injuries.
Timeline
- Sept. 8A mass missile and drone attack on Kyiv killed five people and injured 35.
- Sept. 9Drone strikes on residential buildings killed one person and injured at least 17.
- Sept. 10A drone strike in the Holosiivskyi district injured four people and damaged a gas station.
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This article was independently rewritten by ManyPress editorial AI from reporting originally published by Kyiv Independent.
