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“Shaheds” and more: which drones are attacking Ukraine
Shahed-136
In the theater of the Russian-Ukrainian war, the Shahed-136 has been active since the fall of 2022. These are Iranian-made attack drones, the production of which was launched by the Russian Federation under the name “Geran-2”. Can attack targets with given coordinates or following an operator command. They are launched from ground-based launch platforms and, as a rule, in swarms.
The enemy is launching them from the occupied territories of Ukraine, as well as from its border regions. Usually, from several dozen to more than a hundred “shahed” type drones are registered in the Ukrainian sky. Can fly for 24 hours. The declared range of about 2,500 km means that the “martyrs” can reach any point in Ukraine.
Other features:
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speed – 185 km/h
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weight – 200 kg
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length – 3.5 m
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wingspan – 2.5 m
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warhead – up to 50 kg
Photo: drone Shahed-136 (Getty Images)
The relatively low speed makes it possible to shoot down the Shahed-136 with small arms. Recently, the air defense forces of various branches of the Ukrainian military have destroyed them with an efficiency above 90%.
Shahed-131
Also called “Geranium-1”. This drone works on a similar principle to the Shahed-136, has an identical layout and is uniform in parts and electronics. It differs in the engine and not only.
Key features:
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range – 900 km
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weight – 135 kg
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warhead weight – 10-15 kg
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length – 2.6 m
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wingspan – 2.2 m
“Shahed” lures
During combo attacks, the enemy often uses decoys. They imitate “martyrs”, but have no combat connections. Instead, they carry 3D-printed balls wrapped in foil. The main goal is to mislead the Ukrainian air defense, keep it on edge and force it to waste ammunition on dummy drones.
As noted by the actor Head of the Communications Department of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Yuriy Ignat, now they make up almost half of all drones launched by Russia along the Ukrainian rear.
Drone shooting
The Russians are actively using the tactic of penetrating reconnaissance drones deep into the back. There they hunt important targets and target ballistic missiles. UAVs such as Orlan, Zala and Supercam can fly to a depth of about 200 km. Thanks to them, the enemy was able to obtain HIMARS systems, Patriot launchers, as well as fighter jets on airfields.
“Daggers”, “Iskanders” and company: the main thing about missiles
The biggest threat comes from Russian long-range missiles. Because the warhead there weighs several hundred kilos. The enemy uses ballistic missiles and cruise missiles, which differ in their launch method, trajectory and flight time.
Ballistic missiles
“Dagger”
An aeroballistic missile with the declared capability of carrying a nuclear warhead. High-explosive fragmentation devices are used for strikes against Ukraine. The missile is often called hypersonic, but that is not true. Launched from a MIG-31K aircraft, it has been used in the Russian-Ukrainian war since March 2022.
Photo: carrier with the Kinzhal missile (wikipedia.org)
Key features:
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declared speed – up to Mach 12 (14,688 km/h)
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altitude at maximum trajectory – 20 km
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warhead weight – up to 500 kg
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destruction range – over 2000 km
“Iskander-M”
Ballistic missile of a ground-based operational-tactical complex. The main purpose is to destroy air defense and missile defense systems as well as protected objects.
Key features:
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range – from 50 to 500 km
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speed – 2100 m/s
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warhead weight – 480 kg
Ukraine effectively shoots down ballistic missiles over areas covered by Patriot and SAMP-T systems.
S-300/S400
Anti-aircraft missiles, used to attack ground targets during the Russian invasion. In this design, they are ineffective at long range and extremely inaccurate.
According to various estimates, the range of S-300 can be up to 110-120 km, S-400 – up to 380 km. The mass of the warhead ranges from 140 to 180 kg. As a rule, they are used for attacks on the front line or border towns. Kharkov, Zaporozhye, Slavyansk and Kramatorsk are particularly affected by them.
“Onyx”
Anti-ship missiles, which were used by the attacker for ground attacks. Mainly in the districts of the Odessa region. They fly along a combined trajectory: first they rise up to 14 km along the ballistic trajectory, and when they approach the target, they descend to a height of 10-15 meters.
“Onyxes” are launched from “Bastion” complex in temporarily occupied Crimea. They are considered universal, since submarines, ships and aircraft can act as carriers. Maximum speed – up to 884 m/s; warhead weight – 300 kg.
“Zircon”
Currently recorded single launches in Ukraine. Probably launched from coastal bastion complex. Flight range – up to 1500 km, altitude – 30-40 km, speed – up to Mach 8-9, length – from 8 to 10 m, warhead weight – up to 400 kg.
Photo: Zircon rocket launch (RosSMI)
“Hazel”
Medium-range ballistic missile. The only case of use was the strike on the Dnieper on November 21, 2024. The attack was carried out without a combat unit and was of a demonstration nature.
The exact characteristics are unknown. The stated speed is up to Mach 10, but Ukrainian intelligence confirms that the speed is Mach 11 at the terminal part of the runway. The rocket covered a distance of about 800 km from the test site in the Astrakhan region to the Dnieper in 15 minutes. Carries six warheads, each equipped with an additional six submunitions.
Read more about “Oreshnik” in a separate article. material RBC-Ukraine.
Air-launched cruise missiles
X-101 – air-to-ground cruise missile. The launch range is about 5000 km, the mass of the warhead is up to 960 kg and the speed is up to 720 km/h. The carriers are the Tu-160 and Tu-95MS strategic bombers.
X-55 – an old Soviet missile, flight speed – up to 830 km/h, range – up to 2500 km, warhead weight – 410 kg, flies at low altitude. A non-nuclear warhead does not explode, but causes great damage in a fuel explosion.
X-555 – modification of the old X-55, has a large mass and size, the flight range is up to 2500 km. The mass of the warhead is from 200 to 400 kg and is carried by strategic aircraft Tu-95 and Tu-160.
X-31P – Anti-radar version of the Kh-31 missile (Soviet tactical air-to-surface guided missile). The Kh-31P is designed to destroy radar stations as part of an air defense system. Launched from tactical aircraft such as Su-24, Su-27, Su-35, MiG-27M, MiG-29K, MiG-35.
X-22 – the only one for the Tu-22M3, which is suitable for attacks on ground targets. It carries a warhead of up to 1000 kg and a range of up to 600 km. During the acceleration phase, it rises to an altitude of 22.5 km, accelerates to Mach 4, and in the final phase it attacks the target at a speed of Mach 2. This missile is called “the blind killer” because it was designed as an anti-ship missile, but on the ground it hits the largest object.
Sea-launched cruise missiles
“Caliber” is the so-called “pride” of Russian rocket. Originally designed to destroy ground, sea, underwater and surface targets.
Photo: image of the Kalibr cruise missile (RosSMI)
The firing range against ground targets is 2600 km, the weight of the warhead is 450 kg, the flight height is 20 meters above sea level and 50-150 meters above the ground, the speed is from Mach 0.8 to 2.9. “Caliber” is fired from ships and submarines.
How long from launch to attack
As a rule, missile and drone attacks are warned in advance by an air raid signal. However, since drones fly relatively slowly, cruise missiles quickly, and ballistic missiles even faster, flight time is taken into account.
For example, drone warnings are issued in specific areas when they enter airspace. At the same time, during a ballistic attack – as soon as launches or departures of carriers are recorded.
As for Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, as soon as it takes off on Russian territory MiG-31K. In the summer of 2023, the attacker had 9 such airlines that they take off from the Savasleika airfield in the Nizhny Novgorod region. Alarms are announced every time throughout Ukraine, because it is unknown what kind of flight – combat or training. An aircraft can carry a Kinzhal missile with a destructive warhead of 500 kg.
Image: approximate diagram of the December 13 attack (Radnik Telegram channel)
According to calculations, if a rocket is fired from the Lipetsk region, it flies to Kiev in 3 minutes, to Chernigov and Dnieper – in almost 3, to Vinnitsa, Odessa or Starokonstantinov airfield (Khmelnitsky region) – in a little more than 4 minutes.
Strategic flight Tu-160 and Tu-95MS based at Engels airfield in the Saratov region, Tu-22M3 – at the Shaikovka airfield in the Kaluga region. Their launch areas are the Caspian region, the Saratov region, the Volgograd region and the Black Sea near the occupied Crimea.
“Calibers” are also launched from the Black Sea. As the experience of recent combined attacks has shown, such cruise missiles as “Caliber”, Kh-101, etc. the enemy can use more than 100 units at a time. All carry hundreds of kilograms of explosives and have destructive power. Therefore, air raid warning signals should not be ignored.
Read more in material “Tu-22MZ, Tu-95 and MiG-31K. What does the launch of Russian aircraft mean and how long before the attack.”
