In late June, hundreds of inventors and researchers met with military officials in downtown Kyiv, away from prying eyes, to seek solutions to combat Russia’s cheap drones that continue to threaten Ukrainian cities, Reuters reports.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said: “The war today is technological, with changes in technology and on the battlefield happening every day.”
Reuters was the only news agency invited to the event, where senior military officials brainstormed with engineers and eccentric enthusiasts. One of the participants arrived wearing shorts and a baseball hat, carrying a large drone under his arm.
The organizers have divided a three million dollar cash prize between the three teams that offered the best drones
or electronic technology to fight the Russian-launched drones of Iranian origin. Their airstrikes are massive, and the drones explode on impact.
In May, Russia attacked Ukraine with a record number of drones – official statistics report more than 300 drone attacks. This could be a challenge for power supply systems in winter, as last year Russia tried to destroy Ukraine’s energy infrastructure with aerial attacks. Deputy Prime Minister Oleksandr Kubrakov said that Ukraine wants to be prepared for this.
Iranian-made drones fly so low that anti-aircraft defense systems are not always able to intercept them,
while their navigation system is so primitive that electronic devices that neutralize the drones by interrupting their radio signals cannot be used.
Western countries have supplied high-level air defense systems, but Ukrainian officials say that fighting 50,000 drones with 1 million missiles is not the ideal option. Fedorov pointed out that such an approach is economically unprofitable, so it is necessary to look for cheaper ways to destroy the drones sent by the Russians.
One of the participants of the event told Reuters that his team has prepared a quadcopter that can move using both propellers and wings and can stay in the air longer than other drones.
Other teams focused on equipment that can help shoot down drones remotely.
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