Video: Fog Complicates Air Defense Operations, but Also Hinders Russian Drones — Ignat
The effectiveness of shooting down Russian jet drones reaches 85% in some cases; however, the performance of Ukraine’s air defense is affected by weather, the intensity of attacks, and a shortage of missiles. Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat explained that fog makes it harder to intercept targets, but at the same time creates difficulties for the Russian side as well.
Fighter aircraft remain the primary means of destroying jet-powered UAVs. At the same time, round-the-clock attacks and a limited supply of missiles are affecting the capabilities of Ukraine’s air defense.
Yuriy Ignat, head of the Communications Department of the Air Force Command, discussed this on the RBC-Ukraine podcast “CE BAZA.”
According to Ignat, achieving a 100% shoot-down rate under current conditions is impossible due to the intensity of enemy fire, limited missile stockpiles, and weather conditions—particularly fog, cloud cover, and precipitation.
“Of course, everyone wants to see a higher interception rate for jet drones; everyone wants to see 100% so that we can shoot them all down. Unfortunately, that’s impossible given the sheer number of them,” he noted.
Most interception systems require visual tracking of the target—either through the operator’s eyes or via cameras with optical and laser guidance. This applies to both ground-based systems and airborne platforms. As a result, the shoot-down rate may decrease in foggy or cloudy weather.
However, as Ignat noted, weather conditions also create problems for the enemy itself.
“On the one hand, yes, cloud cover works in the Russians’ favor. On the other hand, if a drone is controlled via communication channels or mesh networks, the operator would also like to see what’s happening. They’d probably have to fly lower, but visibility is so poor right now that even that wouldn’t help much. This hinders them as well, but they can launch drones based on coordinates and control them directly through an operator. Therefore, the vagaries of the weather affect both the enemy and our defenses,” explained the Air Force spokesperson.
Despite the challenging conditions, the overall effectiveness of countering enemy UAVs is increasing. During some attacks, the shoot-down rate for jet-powered drones reaches 85%. This is a high result, although the remaining 15% of drones may still reach their targets.
Aviation plays the leading role in destroying various types of drones:
Helicopters—have demonstrated high effectiveness in combating conventional gasoline-powered “suicide drones.”
Fighter aircraft—achieve the highest shoot-down rate specifically for jet-powered drones.
Source: RBC-Ukraine
In addition, Ignat stated that the Patriot missiles used in the Middle East could last Ukraine for years.
Meanwhile, Ukraine is asking Sweden for assistance with missiles for the Patriot and IRIS-T systems.
For its part, Russia may intensify its ballistic missile strikes while Ukraine waits for the Patriot missiles.
Against this backdrop, Poland has refused to transfer missiles for the Patriot systems to Ukraine.
