In Russia’s Rostov region, a large launch base for jet-powered attack drones has been built in just six weeks, around 3.5 kilometres from Millerovo military airfield. That is reported by the news agency Reuters, citing defence experts and the analysis of commercial satellite images; the Kyiv Post and the public broadcaster Hromadske reproduce the analysis on Thursday, 15 October.
According to that, the site was still an empty field on 31 August. By 14 October, a complex of about 0.9 square kilometres had grown there – an area that, according to Reuters, corresponds to roughly 126 football pitches. The satellite images come from Planet Labs and Airbus. At the western edge of the facility, Mike Monnik, founder and managing director of the private analysis company DroneSec, identified eight launch platforms. Rails have already been mounted on two of them, and work is under way on two others.
The facility is designed for the new jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones, Monnik said. These reach speeds of up to 600 kilometres per hour. In his assessment, the base could be fully operational within weeks, “if not sooner”. “The speed of construction … shows how easily Russia can now bring established strike capabilities into use quickly,” Monnik said.
According to him, depending on supplies and the operational target, the site could launch more than 100 jet-powered drones within 24 hours. Russia usually deploys such drones in smaller waves spread over the day. The base is near Millerovo military airfield, where the 31st Guards Fighter Aviation Regiment is stationed. DroneSec assumes that the launch facility falls within the airfield’s air-defence area and is therefore harder to attack.
Rob Jordan of the London-based Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) said the concrete platforms and two possible launch rails matched the launch devices for Russian Geran drones. “This pace of construction in such a short time is impressive,” Jordan said. It showed the confidence Russia placed in its deep-strike capability – “possibly at the expense of its conventional ground forces”.
How much has Russia accelerated the use?
The construction comes at a time when Russia is increasingly using jet-powered drones against Ukraine. According to Ukrainian military data reported by Reuters in September, Russia increased the use of these drones in summer by about sixfold within three months. Among the most heavily hit areas were Kyiv and the surrounding region.
The difference from the slower, piston-engine-powered models is militarily significant: the comparatively cheap interceptor drones on which Ukraine is increasingly relying can hardly stop the faster models. According to sources in Kyiv, Ukrainian units are working on solutions to intercept the faster weapons as well. With the fifth year of Russia’s war of aggression, Ukraine expects Moscow to intensify its drone and missile attacks in the coming winter – additional pressure on already strained air defence.
The new facility complements an existing network of at least eleven fixed launch sites that Russia uses for attacks on Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defence initially did not respond to a Reuters request for comment on the facility and the drone programme.
Why this also affects NATO
Monnik sees the rapid expansion of launch infrastructure not only as a challenge for Ukraine. The growing industrial production of highly advanced jet-powered drones meets gaps in the defence against such systems in several NATO states. “This ability to quickly launch large-scale attacks with unmanned systems represents a strategic vulnerability for NATO countries,” he said.
The expansion comes at a time of growing tensions between Russia and the alliance. European governments accuse Moscow of increased sabotage, drone incursions and cyberattacks. Russia, in turn, warned last month that it could use nuclear weapons if NATO tried to cut off the Kaliningrad exclave.
Editor’s note: The assessment that the facility puts both Ukraine’s air defence and the security situation in NATO states under pressure comes from the cited experts and the news agency Reuters – it is not this editorial team’s own assessment.
