Russia outpacing Ukraine's air defences with daily use of new jet-powered drones

Russia fired its new rapid, jet-powered drones against Ukraine every day throughout August, BBC Verify analysis of Ukrainian Air Force data has found, escalating its use of a weapon that Kyiv's air defences are struggling to deal with.It marked the first time that daily attacks by Moscow's new upgraded Geran drones were recorded in Ukrainian Air Force data. The growing use of jet-propelled and other varieties of drones prompted President Volodymyr Zelensky to condemn what he called an unfolding "horror" over the skies of Kyiv.Ukraine's military recently told the BBC that jet-powered drone attacks grew from 350 in June to 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August. In five of the nightly attacks in August, these drones outnumbered the older, slower models."The reason for turning to jet-powered drones is that they are much faster than the previous generation and it makes it much more difficult for Ukraine to intercept them," said Dr Marina Miron, an expert on military technology at King's College London.The upgraded munitions can cruise at more than 300mph, significantly faster than older models and well beyond the top speed of Kyiv's interceptors. The drones are powered by turbojet engines, ...