Russia Is Facing Problems With The Production Of "Shahed" Drones

An aviation expert pointed out potential engine problems.

During a massive attack on the night of October 19, Russian occupiers used a small number of “Shahed” drones, which may indicate that Russia is facing challenges in this area. This opinion was expressed by aviation expert Valery Romanenko, a leading researcher at the State Aviation Museum, during a broadcast on Radio NV.

“It seems that there were some problems with the engines, possibly related to production. Perhaps the Russians had stockpiled jet-powered ‘Shaheds’ and have already fired them all off. In other words, without objective information, we can only make certain assumptions in this regard,” Romanenko said.

He noted that, against this backdrop, the Russians continue to intensively produce gasoline-powered “Shaheds.” And during the attack on the night of October 19, Russia deployed 269 UAVs, of which only 59 were jet-powered.

“That’s a very small proportion. It amounts to about 20 percent—one out of every five was a jet-powered UAV,” Romanenko added.

He also commented on the expanding geographic scope of “Shahed” strikes against Ukraine. The expert noted that jet-powered UAVs can strike targets up to 950 kilometers away. However, to strike western Ukraine, the Russians are forced to launch such UAVs almost in a straight line, which makes them easy targets for destruction by Ukrainian air defense forces. Meanwhile, the range of piston-engine “Shaheds” is significantly greater.

“That’s why, most likely, jet-powered ‘Shaheds’ are currently flying more frequently toward central Ukraine. There were test launches to see if they would reach their targets or not. But now they’re returning to the piston-engine “Shaheds” because of their greater range and ability to circle for extended periods and change flight paths. This expands their capabilities and complicates the work of air defense. After all, these ‘Shaheds’ can fly at low altitudes. Air defense systems may occasionally lose track of them. And that means a ‘Shahed’ can strike suddenly,” Romanenko emphasized.

Earlier, military analyst Ivan Kirichevsky reported that Russia is currently capable of producing more than 3,000 gasoline-powered “Shahed” kamikaze drones per month thanks to components from China. In addition, according to his estimates, the enemy can produce more than 3,500 “Geran-4” and “Geran-5” jet-powered drones.

At the same time, Member of Parliament Oleksandr Fedienko previously reported that the effectiveness of Ukraine’s air defense system currently stands at over 87%. However, the MP noted that some “Shaheds” still manage to get through. He emphasized that it is impossible to shoot down 100% of Russian “Shaheds,” just as it is impossible to protect all power transmission lines.

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