“We basically invented this from scratch”: Yarmak on how Shahed drones are shot down. Ukrainian rapper and commander of the Dark Note unit of the Nemesis brigade, Oleksandr Yarmak, said in an interview with Liuba Shypovych (Dignitas Foundation) how his unit learned to effectively destroy drones. Oleksandr notes that... intercepting these drones had to be invented from scratch. When they started doing this nearly two years ago, intercepting a Shahed was considered an extremely difficult task. “Even at the tactical level, there weren’t many teams that could effectively work with thermal imaging against ground targets. And here you have 200 km/h speed, night, sky - you’re basically flying into space, with no reference points at all. You were just flying into a black screen. And you had to find that Shahed there.” Yarmak emphasizes that the key to destroying drones was a combination of technologies. Proper radar operation is crucial - especially their placement and ability to detect targets at low altitudes. Radars detect the target in advance and transmit coordinates, after which interceptor drones equipped with thermal cameras are launched. Once in the air, they locate the Shahed and strike it. At the same time, mobile fire groups and air defense systems operate in parallel, providing backup for the interception. Yarmak notes that by spring 2025, they were already shooting down Shaheds in the dozens, and later in the hundreds. As of January, according to him, his unit accounted for about a third of all destroyed targets. Yarmak also highlights the value of everyone contributing to quiet skies. When Ukrainians sleep peacefully, they often don’t realize that the threat has already burned out in a field because someone intercepted it. Security doesn’t come from nowhere - it is provided by people. 📹 Dignitasshow more

Anton Gerashchenko

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