The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine said yesterday (22 October) that it has neutralised over 400,000 Russian drones since the start of 2026.
In just under 10 months of 2026, Ukrainian defenders have reportedly hit approximately 248,000 fixed-wing uncrewed aerial systems (UAS), 25,000 multirotor UAS and more than 35,000 Shahed-type UAS.
Hits on Russian UAS are recorded in Ukraine’s DELTA system, the digital core of its command and control on the battlefield. The verification mechanism makes it possible to track the specifics of every take-down of an enemy drone and scale up responses.
Ukraine’s Minister of Defence Evgeniy Khmara held a conversation with Norway’s Minister of Defence Tore O. Sandvik earlier this week, where they spoke of Ukraine’s critical need for air defence systems. Khmara noted an urgent requirement for interceptor missiles for air defence and the security challenges posed by jet-powered drones.
Khmara and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Mykhailo Drapatyi also recently met with a Lockheed Martin delegation led by Orlando Sanchez Jr., President of Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Particular attention was paid to the role of F-16s in protecting Ukraine’s skies and PAC-3 interceptor missiles for Patriot system.
Ukraine says F-16s are among the key means of countering Russian jet-powered drones. “Ukraine is therefore interested in expanding its F-16 maintenance capabilities,” the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine said in a press release. “The meeting addressed expanding the geographic reach of these capabilities, including through localisation.”
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Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
Image: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine
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