Russia Developed Weapon to Bypass Ukraine's Anti-Drone Defenses: Report

A Kremlin-controlled news agency on Tuesday reported Russia has developed "mini-drones" that can be dispatched from the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter jet.

According to the RIA Novosti agency, an "informed source" said the design of these unmanned aerial vehicle (UAVs) would allow Russia to better circumvent Ukraine's anti-drone defense systems. Newsweek could not independently verify the report about the development of these drones, and the Russian Ministry of Defense was contacted via email for comment.

Throughout the war launched by Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2022, Kyiv officials have reported their military has had a high rate of success in shooting down Russian drones with their defensive artillery.

While much of Ukraine's success in mounting attacks on Russian positions can be attributed to their use of drones, Moscow has learned from their enemy and increased developments and production of their own UAVs. One such recent modification reportedly includes producing Iranian-designed Shahed drones from carbon fiber, which can better absorb radar signals to hinder air defenses.

RIA Novosti reported that the new mini-drones designed for Su-57s are carried on the high-speed jets inside an intra-fuselage compartment or on eternal slings attached to the aircraft.

The report goes on to detail that each fighter jet can launch several drones at once and personnel aboard the aircraft can control the UAVs. The drones were also said to be designed for military attacks as well as for reconnaissance and electronic warfare.

RIA Novosti noted that plans for such mini-drones made for Su-57s began in 2021, and the agency previously wrote about the creation of on-board equipment and software for controlling drones from inside the aircraft.

Guy McCardle, managing editor of Special Operations Forces Report (SOFREP), told Newsweek that when he first read Russian stories about the mini-drones, he felt it sounded like "Star Wars-ish propaganda."

"The Su-57 is capable of flying up to speeds of Mach 2," he said. "One would think that releasing a drone at high speed would destroy it because of the turbulence."

McCardle reconsidered his position after reading up on how the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), a research agency of the U.S. Department of Defense, previously worked on a similar project.

"In 2020, DARPA launched an X-61A Gremlin drone from a military transport plane mid-flight and monitored it for one hour and 41 minutes. The drone was supposed to have been retrieved by the aircraft, but it developed unspecified mechanical issues and crashed," he said.

McCardle added that U.S. military officials in 2017 also announced they had released 103 Perdix drones from F/A-18 Super Hornet aircraft. He said the drones were able to "communicate with one another and swarm in a mock surveillance mission."

"With that knowledge in mind, I now find the Russian claims entirely plausible," McCardle said.

In a separate report, RIA Novosti wrote Russia will receive its first naval drones by the end of the year. Russia's Ministry of Defense reportedly indicated the naval drones will be tested on the battlegrounds of Ukraine.

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