Ukraine launches new jet-engine drone to rival Iran’s Shahed
Ukraine has deployed a series of new jet-powered drones as it seeks to ramp up its unmanned capabilities and match the Iranian Shaheds used by Russia.
The wreckage of a one-way attack drone with a jet turbine engine and a high explosive warhead was photographed in Russia and shared on social media by Russian sources.
It is not clear whether the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was downed by Russian air defences or an electronic warfare system but the remains are largely intact.
Initial reports originating from Russia suggest a high-build quality with a German-made jet propulsion engine and an explosive fragmentation warhead.
‘Second generation’ of drones
“It is evidently a type of one-way attack drone,” H I Sutton, an independent defence analyst, wrote on his website.
“It is likely that the type has been in service for some time, simply that this is the first reported example.”
He added: “This appears to be typical of what I view as a second generation of Ukrainian OWA-UAV [One-way attack unmanned aerial vehicle].”
The drone is powered by what appears to be a German JetCat P400-PRO, which cost around €10,000 (£8,540).
The engine is fitted to a winged fuselage likely built from a wooden frame and a fibreglass skin.
It is likely around three metres long with a wingspan of around 2.5 metres, according to H I Sutton’s initial analysis.
There are no initial details that suggest how the aircraft is flown, but reports claim it is pre-programmed before launch because there is no evidence of a standalone targeting system.
It has a similar build to the Iranian-designed Shahed-136 used by Russia, which is a one-way attack drone.
Tehran recently announced a newer 236 model, which is propelled by a jet engine.
The newly deployed machine is not the only jet-powered drone that has recently been added to Ukraine’s arsenal.
Last month, Max Glushak, a Ukrainian drone producer, shared footage of a new jet-powered exploding UAV.
The video shows a missile-shaped drone with small wings zipping through the sky.
It is not clear whether the prototype has entered into production or if it has been used by Ukraine’s armed forces.
Photos of the wreckage of a UJ-25 Skyline, another of Ukraine’s jet-powered drones, surfaced last December when it crashed onto a roof in the southern Ukrainian city of Berdyansk.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s minister for digital transformation, publicly revealed details of the UAV, which is manufactured by domestic producer Ukrjet.
While technical details of the UJ-25 remain a secret, the drone appears to be a weaponised version of the firm’s UJ-23 targeting drone.
Deployed as a one-way attack drone, the UJ-25 could potentially have a range of up to 500 miles and travel at speeds of nearly 500 mph.
A drone capable of travelling these distances would put all areas of occupied Ukraine and much of Russia, including Moscow, within range of Kyiv’s forces.
Last month, Ukraine hit a Russian oil refinery in St Petersburg, some 550 miles behind enemy lines.
Pro-Kremlin sources claimed the UAV that hit Vladimir Putin’s home town was armed with a three-kilogram warhead.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, the Ukrainian minister for strategic industry, told an audience in Davos that a domestically produced drone had flown some 775 miles to reach the target.
The war-torn country is attempting to manufacture at least one million drones this year and has announced an independent unmanned force to be established in its military.
