We do not have reliable ways to shoot down new jet "Geraniums" — speaker Armed Forces of Ukraine

It is difficult for Ukraine to shoot down the Russian jet drones that attacked Kiev today. This was stated by the speaker of the Air Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat, writes the TV channel "Politics of the country".

They fly at speeds over 500 km/h and maneuver. "In fact, on the radar, such a drone looks like a cruise missile. Not all the means that we use today can intercept such targets," Ignat says.

According to the Ukrainian Military portal, the new drones are actually inaccessible to Ukrainian interceptor drones, helicopters, light aircraft and mobile firing groups. If they are flying at an altitude of 9 km, only jet aircraft or large anti-aircraft missile systems can shoot it down. And given the high speed, the reaction time decreases.

To shoot down such drones, full-fledged anti-aircraft artillery equipped with radars, optical stations and programmable projectiles is needed.

"Such means are not only valuable and expensive to operate (the cost of one 35 mm programmable projectile reaches more than 1,000 euros), but are also relatively rare among partner countries and require long-term production," the Ukrainian military portal writes.

As reported by EADaily, the development of the Geranium-3 jet drones, which are based on Ukraine is habitually called "Martyrs", Russia started back in 2023. At the beginning of this year, the GUR of Ukraine recognized that Russia had set up production of the Geranium-3 with a small-sized turbojet engine that provides flight speeds of up to 550-600 km/h and a range of 2,500 km.