Private air defence takes off in Ukraine

Ukraine is rolling out a new line of defence to protect businesses and critical infrastructure from hundreds of ‌Russian drones darkening its skies night after night: private air defence companies.

Ukraine launched a pilot programme last year allowing industrial firms to establish their own air defence groups to guard their facilities. So far, 20 companies have registered, and two of them are already offering air defence operations, according to the Defence Ministry.

Carmine Sky, one of the companies, says it deploys several layers of protection depending on the need of a specific client, ranging from interceptor drones to automated turrets armed with M2 Browning ⁠heavy machine guns.

"It's like an onion, made of layers," said Ruslan, a company representative who provided only his first name for security reasons.

Russia launches thousands of low-cost, long-range attack drones at Ukraine every month.

While most are intercepted, those that get through have wrought havoc on military infrastructure, factories and energy facilities, depriving millions of people of heating and lighting last winter.

Ruslan spoke to Reuters at a control room where Carmine Sky's employees monitor for Russian drones. Operators reclined in padded chairs, their fingers resting lightly on gamepads as they search for targets. The room itself was dim, its walls draped with masking nets.

The company operates in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region as well as other regions, Ruslan said, without specifying which. He declined to identify any of the firm's clients.

"We are only complementing the traditional ‌state air ⁠defence model," Ruslan said. "State air defence has a more strategic role, while we are local."

SOURCE: Reuters