The war in Ukraine has revealed a new reality. Armed conflicts are no longer only fought on land, Russian drones control the sky with coordinated attacks with hundreds of units in the same night.
Russia relies on kamikaze drones to carry out massive attacks, but the rival army cannot keep up with the Kremlin’s production rate. Ukraine has understood after years of conflict that the best attack is a good defense.
The Ukrainian army uses anti-drone radars, missiles with infrared sensors and lasers that shoot down aircraft. Ukraine has opted on this occasion for one of the simplest and most economical techniques; they cannot afford to activate defense systems for low-cost kamikaze drones.
Paratroopers to intercept drones
Soldiers of the 46th Podilsk Independent Airmobile Brigade have begun using a new method to intercept Russian drones. The Ukrainian army alone Use a fishing rod and rope to catch enemy devices moving over them as if they were a parachutist.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have released a video of this curious drone shooting system that they are beginning to test on the battlefield. The soldiers use a fishing rod with a rope attached to a Mavic drone.
The Ukrainian drone approaches its target from above. The system is extremely simple: the propellers of the enemy aircraft become entangled or damaged due to the cable placed under tension with a counterweight.
Enemy drones lose control and crash in a matter of seconds without using powerful lasers or expensive missiles. This system could not be more economical for the Ukrainian military.
Two Russian drones intercepted
Ukraine continues to perfect this curious air defense technique, but it is beginning to show its first results. The Podilsk Airmobile Brigade has confirmed that they have shot down two Russian drones with this system.
The 46th Airmobile Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has shared images of an operation to attempt to shoot down a fixed-wing kamikaze aircraft. The Ukrainian army has not managed to destroy this aircraft.
Ukraine is still working on an original air defense system, although it is not new. The country has equipped rigid extensions on extremely cheap takedown drones, even reusedfrom mid-2024.
The Armed Forces now hope to deploy this technology on a large scale. Ukraine has finally managed to prevent the enemy drone from becoming entangled and causing it to plummet along with the target.