Russian Drones Are 7 Times Cheaper Than Ukrainian S-300 Air Defense Missiles

Russian Drones Are 7 Times Cheaper Than Ukrainian S-300 Air Defense Missiles.

Thursday, January 05, 2023.

The fact remains that the smaller kamikaze drones used by the Russians were far cheaper than the Ukrainian air defense missiles used against them.

This was revealed in a New York Times (NYT) report which added that the price difference was creating problems for Kiev and its Western backers.

In its Tuesday article, the newspaper did not question Kiev's claim that most of the drones (UAVs) launched by Russia were shot down.

The NYT points out, however, that even in this case Ukraine's air defense stockpile has been depleted.

"How long can Ukraine sustain its efforts when many of its defensive measures cost far more than the drones?" wrote the NYT wondering.

“In addition to trying to destroy the incoming drones with anti-aircraft guns and small arms fire, the Kiev forces also rely heavily on fighter and ground-launched missiles which are very expensive,” wrote the NYT.

The newspaper quoted the head of Ukrainian consultancy Molfar, Artem Starosiek, as claiming using missiles against UAVs costs up to seven times more than the drones themselves.

"The drones used by Russia are priced at around $20,000 per unit, while surface-to-air missiles from the Ukrainian arsenal range from $140,000 for the Soviet era to $500,000 for the US-supplied NASAM system," Starosiek said.

The article claims the drone that Russia used in Ukraine was the Shahed-136, which was supplied by Iran. This claim has been denied by Moscow and Tehran on numerous occasions.

The Russian Ministry of Defense (Kemhan) confirmed that the Geran-2 drone was domestically manufactured, as was all the other hardware used in the military operation against Kiev.

Iran's Foreign Ministry only confirmed the delivery of a small number of drones to Russia before the outbreak of conflict with Ukraine.

Tehran stressed no new shipments had been made since then.

Nevertheless, Starosiek defended the Kiev strategy, arguing, “It still costs far less to shoot down a drone than to repair a damaged or destroyed power plant.”

However, the NYT warned, “The price differential between drones and air defense is an imbalance that could over time work in favor of Russia, against Ukraine and its allies, according to some analysts.”

As per Molfar's estimates, Russia has targeted Ukraine's military infrastructure and energy systems with around 600 drones since September, when UAVs began to be used more widely.

Russia drastically ramped up its attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure in early October in response to repeated Ukrainian sabotage on Russian soil, including the Crimea Bridge bombing, which Moscow blamed on Kiev.

Although the attack was welcomed by top Ukrainian officials, Kiev has denied involvement.

Source: international.sindonews.com

Subscribe to receive free email updates: