Three days of searches have failed to uncover evidence that Russia used jet-powered Shahed drones to carry and launch FPV drones during attacks on Kyiv, Ukrainian military technology expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov said.
“For three days, we have not been able to find a single piece of evidence of FPVs being used from jet-powered Shaheds in Kyiv,” Beskrestnov, an adviser to the Ukrainian president on defense technology, said in a Facebook post.
The statement challenges recent reports that Russia may be using Shaheds as “mother drones” to deliver smaller FPV attack drones deeper into Ukrainian territory.
Reports of Shaheds carrying FPVs
Reports of the tactic emerged earlier this week. The Ukrainian monitoring channel eRadar said on Thursday, Sept. 3, that an FPV drone had been found attached to a Shahed in the Kyiv region.
Ukraine’s Wild Hornets volunteer group also published footage on Aug. 27 of a Shahed shot down by a drone operated by the 36th Separate Assault Brigade. The group said the Shahed was carrying two FPV drones.
Such a configuration could allow Russia to use a long-range Shahed as a carrier, releasing smaller drones closer to their targets and potentially complicating Ukraine’s air defenses.
However, Beskrestnov’s latest statement indicates that no evidence of the specific tactic has been confirmed in Kyiv over the past three days.
How the technology works
The use of FPV drones attached to larger strike drones is not a new Russian tactic. Beskrestnov previously said Russian forces had been using the configuration for more than a year.
According to the expert, two FPV drones can be attached to a standard Shahed or Gerbera drone and controlled using LTE modems.
The system has limited effectiveness, however, and is therefore used relatively infrequently, Beskrestnov said. The smaller FPV drones can lose their communications or control link during flight and crash before reaching their targets.
There is also an important distinction between standard and jet-powered Shaheds.
FPV drones are attached to conventional Shaheds, Beskrestnov said, because the much higher speed of jet-powered drones makes carrying and deploying FPVs extremely difficult.
As a result, evidence that FPVs were found in the Kyiv region does not establish that they were launched from jet-powered Shaheds.
Beskrestnov urged against treating a connection between the two types of drones as confirmed without supporting evidence.
Jet-powered Shaheds extend their reach
The reports come as Russia continues deploying modified, jet-powered versions of the Shahed drone, which can travel significantly farther than earlier variants.
During Russia’s Aug. 28 attack, a jet-powered Shahed reportedly flew about 960 kilometers (597 miles) and reached Volyn region in western Ukraine, according to OSINT analysts.
On Aug. 18, another jet-powered Shahed reportedly reached the Rivne region for the first time, covering an estimated 900 kilometers (597 miles).
The increasing range of the modified drones is adding another challenge for Ukraine as Russia continues adapting its long-range drone campaign against the country.