Faced with the incessant bombardments of Moscow, the interception of enemy strikes is a vital issue for kyiv. Between strikes against civilians and destruction of energy infrastructure, Russian drones are wreaking havoc far from the front, just as against the Ukrainian forces deployed in Donbass.
Among the innovations implemented, a technology in the process of being democratized could relieve kyiv in the future: net-throwing drones, which can stop Russian machines without being destroyed in the process, and therefore without wearing out precious Ukrainian anti-aircraft defenses.
Drones at the heart of the conflict in Ukraine
Drones have become an essential tool for both Ukrainian and Russian forces. Used for reconnaissance, strikes against enemy positions or even the destruction of infrastructure installed deep in enemy territory, these devices are developed and produced at great expense by both camps.
Weapons used in the war in Ukraine
A primary challenge for kyiv as for Russia is therefore to succeed in intercepting enemy drones to be the only one to benefit from their tactical advantages. But stopping these machines is complex and expensive: a drone flying low to the ground at low speed is less easily reachable by anti-aircraft systems, and the cost of the projectile used to destroy it is often much higher than that of the remotely piloted machine. .
The Israeli example is telling: according to Haaretz, if Tel Aviv manages to almost systematically stop enemy missiles using its multi-layered air defense, in the case of drones, the interception rate drops to 80%. On the Ukrainian front, where ammunition is lacking and the anti-aircraft defense system is less dense, Moscow can launch waves of drones with the assurance that several of them will manage to reach their target.
Especially since the massive use of these remotely controlled machines allows both camps to develop many new techniques. According to Ukrainian soldiers interviewed by the New York Times, Russian forces now use decoy drones without explosive charges and fly low to avoid enemy radars, making it possible to saturate anti-aircraft defenses.
Net drones to stop Russian devices
One solution is to intercept these drones with other drones: by crashing them against their target or shooting them down from a distance, we could thus increase the interception rate while saving precious ammunition at a very high price.
Among the methods of interception of these drones, we can cite the use of nets, which is in the process of being democratized: this is the case of the Fortem DroneHunter 700, supplied by Washington to kyiv since the start of the conflict.
These nets are fired by the interceptor in order to stop the rotors of the enemy drone, a crucial weak point, causing it to crash far from its target. The advantage is that the interceptor drone can be reused subsequently, where kamikaze models cannot logically be reused.
The effectiveness of this solution pushes Ukraine to develop models like the Ptashka sitcoma small net launcher that can be installed on many drones. Since most drones do not have an upward-facing camera, this system allows a remotely piloted machine to position itself above its opponent and launch a net via this blind spot.
Several other countries are also adopting these technologies: on the Israeli and American side, Fortem and Elbit have developed a technique including a parachute, making it possible not only to intercept the drone, but to land it gently.
This new technique is not infallible, however. In the event of complete democratization of this interception method, the solution would consist of protecting the rotors to allow them to continue to operate, even once caught.
