Russia used the Kacha airfield on the western coast of occupied Crimea to launch Shahed attack drones for the first time during its Sept. 28 missile and drone attack, the monitoring channel eRadar on Telegram reported.
Kacha is the 12th confirmed launch site for Shaheds. Since it sits on the Black Sea coast, drones from there can reach Odesa, Kherson, or Mykolaiv much faster than from other launch sites, significantly shortening flight time to southern Ukraine.
According to monitors, drones from Kacha hit a winery in Odesa region only 40 minutes after launch, even though the distance was nearly 300 kilometers. This suggests Russia may have used rocket-assisted versions of the drones.
How Russia launches Shaheds
According to the Militarnyi outlet, Russian forces use different launch methods:
- Large stationary catapults,
- Vehicle launchers with rocket boosters,
- Simple car-mounted systems.
Small rocket catapults can launch drones from unexpected directions, but they are the most expensive option because they need solid-fuel boosters.
Satellite images show no large catapults at Kacha. Since the airfield is often hit by Ukrainian strikes, experts believe Russia likely used vehicles or mobile launchers for these attacks.
The biggest known Shahed base is in Russia’s Oryol region, which has been hit several times by long-range Scalp/Storm Shadow missiles but keeps coming back online.
Ukrainian strikes on Kacha
Kacha itself has not gone unscathed. In the last week of September, drones from Ukraine’s HUR Ghosts special unit hit the airfield, destroying three aircraft – an Antonov An-26 and a Beriev Be-12 flying boat-style seaplane, as well as a Mi-8 helicopter.
The video published by HUR, filmed from what appeared to be a drone-mounted camera, showed the device approaching Russian military targets before unleashing strikes. Seconds later, explosions lit up the site and thick smoke rose into the air as the aircraft burned.