Russia Cracks the Ukraine drone Code? Majority of Drone Attacks on June 6 Neutralized

Russia’s air defenses repelled a massed Ukrainian drone strike on July 6 highlighting a new technique to spot and hit the drones, Lt. Gen. Aytech Bizhev, former Russian Air Force deputy commander of the CIS Joint Air Defense System, told Sputnik.

The surprisingly high hit rate against Ukrainian drones is attributed to all of Russia’s air defenses – short-, medium- and long-range, from surface-to-air missile batteries to teams equipped with MANPADs – being integrated into one multi-layered network.

The ground-based component is further integrated with the Aerospace Forces, with surface-to-air launchers and fighter aircraft operating in concert.

Commanders of anti-air units are authorized to operate autonomously in case of emergency – a possible loss of contact with the central command won’t stop them from doing their duty.

 Russia’s air defense forces have received invaluable experience while repelling Ukrainian attacks – the kind of experience that no other air defense in the world has, and which allows Russian forces to tackle airborne attacks so efficiently.

Su-57 with 101KS-N targeting pod

The Russian Aerospace Forces have been deploying the Su-57 jet in a missile and drone hunting role.

According to reports in the Russian media,  on July 4, while repelling an enemy missile attack, Russian  Forces intercepted eight Ukrainian FP-5 Flamingo heavy long-range cruise missiles. According to some military-related social media accounts, the Su-57 was deployed to counter the enemy's air attack.

Some reports say that the Su-57 fifth-generation fighter has been adapted for a distinctly counter-drone and counter-missile role by fitting it with a 101KS-N, a pod-mounted optical-electronic and multi-channel targeting system. The 101KS-N  ensures detection and automatic tracking of long-range kamikaze UAVs "Lyuty" and FP-1 at distances of 25-35 km, and cruise missiles FP-5 "Flamingo", which have higher-contrast engines, at a distance of 50-70 km.