Pentagon yakiri kuwa droni zinazonasibishwa na Muajemi (Iran) zimekuwa "pasua kichwa" kwa Ukraine, US na NATO kwa ujumla. Afisa mwandamizi wa Pentagon amesema droni hizo zinachoma vibaya magarivita ya NATO yaliyopelekwa Ukraine (armored vehicles), mifumo ya ulizi wa anga, mikusanyiko ya wanajeshi wa Ukraine pamoja na zana za mizinga za NATO zilizopelekwa Ukraine (artillery).
Afisa huyo mwandamizi wa Pentagon ameongezea kuwa ni vigumu kujikinga dhidi ya mashambulizi ya droni hizo, kwani Marekani NATO wote hawana 'kinetic interceptors' zenye kuweza kudungua droni hizo.
Akichambua zaidi uwezo wa droni hizo, afisa huyo wa ngazi ya juu wa Pentagon amedokeza kuwa droni hizo zinazohusishwa na Uajemi ni za ajabu. Kwani mbali ya uwezo wake uliotukuka wa kushambulia na kuchoma zanavita mbalimbali ikiwemo mifumo ya Ulinzi wa anga, pia zinafanya missions za sampuli tofauti tofauti ikiwemo kukusanya taarifa za kiintelijensia (intelligence), kufatilia zana na majeshi ya adui (surveillance) , na uchunguzi wa maeneo yenye majeshi ya adui (reconnaissance) na hivyo kuyafanya majeshi ya Ukraine na zana zao kuwa hatarini kushambuliwa na droni hizo wakati wowote.
Taarifa hii imeripotiwa na Marekani yenyewe (The National Interest)
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A senior Pentagon official did not confirm the exact number of Shahed 136 drones being used to support the Russian effort but made it clear that such an initiative would not be surprising. The Iranian “kamikaze” drones are a loitering munition that can attack from ranges as far as 2,500 kilometers away.
Thousands more
Iranian drones may be headed to Ukraine as
Russian forces continue to use them to attack armored vehicles, air defenses, troop concentrations, and mobile artillery.
“We do know that Iran has provided
Russia with drones for use on the battlefield in Ukraine. While I don't have anything specific to provide in terms of potential future deliveries, it would not -- we would not be surprised were that the case,” a Pentagon official
told reporters during a background briefing.
These kinds of weapons present a serious threat to Ukrainian forces as they can be quite difficult to defend against. Large numbers of swarming drones would be quite difficult to target with any kind of kinetic interceptor. These systems also operate at a lower altitude and can be organically launched from dismounted units in close proximity.
Finally, these kinds of drones could conduct intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions as well, making Ukrainian armored vehicles, formations, or artillery systems vulnerable to attack.