Russian Jet Drone Reshapes Airstrike Tactics

Reference News Network, October 28 report According to the Russian newspaper "Izvestia" on October 25, Russia's latest cruise missile-type drones have begun attacking across Ukraine. The "Strizh," "Dan"-T, "Paket," and "Pelargonium"-5 are causing serious difficulties for the Ukrainian military: they can inflict significant losses, but the Ukrainian forces have yet to develop effective countermeasures. Air defense systems struggle to deal with these drones, which have a higher flight speed and extremely high strike precision.

Last week, Ukraine recorded the first use of the Russian "Strizh" cruise missile-type drone. The emergence of this drone indicates that Russia is developing a new generation of low-cost, high-tech strike weapons.

This drone was developed by the "Lightning" research and production association under the Russian Tactical Missile Weapons Group. Its relatively compact size (3.5 meters long, 3 meters wingspan), high flight speed (up to 800 kilometers per hour), and streamlined shape significantly reduce the probability of interception by air defense weapons.

The "Strizh" missile has a range of up to 1200 kilometers, and its body is made entirely of carbon fiber and fiberglass. The drone is equipped with two types of warheads weighing 50 kilograms and 100 kilograms, respectively. Although the warhead weight is not large, considering its high flight speed, it is still sufficient to destroy any target except for reinforced command posts and similar facilities that are concretely poured or deeply buried underground, effectively striking air defense missile positions, warehouses, power stations, vehicles, and troop positions.

The drone is launched from a dedicated light launch vehicle, eliminating the need for complex infrastructure or mobile launch units equipped with heavy combat vehicles, thus reducing the likelihood of detection by the enemy. Its guidance system is an anti-jamming satellite navigation module, and the jet engine is entirely produced in Russia. These features contribute to the mass production of this drone.

The Russian military is also increasingly using two other types of drones in special military operations—the "Paket" and "Dan"-T. They have a maximum flight speed of up to 650 kilometers per hour and a range of up to 500 kilometers, allowing them to penetrate air defense systems and strike deep enemy targets.

The uniqueness of the "Paket" drone lies in its ability to be launched from the air. It can be carried and launched by helicopters or large drones like the "Orion." The "Dan"-T is ejected from a highly mobile launch vehicle using a solid propellant booster. Both launch methods offer flexibility and concealment. With satellite navigation and pre-set flight paths, they can bypass fixed air defense systems and conduct high-precision strikes on almost any fixed target.

The recently unveiled "Pelargonium"-5 jet drone, with its smaller size and faster flight speed (up to 800 kilometers per hour), can almost ignore any existing air defense systems, and its range of 1000 kilometers allows it to strike all targets within Ukraine.

The Russian military-industrial complex in 2026 is making significant progress: the boundary between attack drones and cruise missiles is disappearing. In contemporary conflict conditions, classic strategic cruise missiles (such as the Kh-101 or "Kalibr") face two major challenges: high costs and difficulty in mass production.

The emergence of jet drones provides a solution. This equipment combines the low-cost characteristics of drones with the higher flight speed advantages of cruise missiles.

Economic factors play an important role in this transformation: if each air defense missile (such as the "Patriot" missile) costs between $500,000 and $4 million to intercept a jet drone that costs only $50,000 to $100,000, air defense forces will quickly become economically overwhelmed. Furthermore, since jet drones can use commercial components instead of scarce and expensive military components, costs can be significantly reduced.

Cruise missile-type drones have proven their effectiveness. They can conduct low-cost, large-scale, efficient strikes against the enemy, which not only elevates the Russian military's strike capability to a new level but also significantly drains Ukraine's military budget. (Translation/ Liu Yang)