Satellite images show that Russia has nearly completed a large new base for launching jet-powered drones in just six weeks, posing a greater threat to Ukraine and some NATO countries.
According to reports from Reuters, commercial satellite images provided by Planet Labs and Airbus show that a piece of land in the Rostov region in southwestern Russia was an empty field on August 30, but by October 14, it had transformed into a drone launch base roughly the size of 126 soccer fields.
The construction of this base comes at a time when Russia’s use of jet-powered attack drones in Ukraine has increased significantly. Currently, Ukraine struggles to intercept these high-speed weapons flying at speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour.
Mike Monnik, founder and CEO of the private intelligence company DroneSec, stated that the base depicted in the images has the capability to launch the latest Russian models of jet-powered drones, known as “Geran-4” and “Geran-5.”
He mentioned that the western side of the base features eight slide tracks for launching these drones. Russia already has at least 11 fixed launch sites for drones targeting Ukraine.
Monnik noted that such rapid construction is rare, and the base appears to be nearing completion very quickly. He said, “It may only take a few weeks for it to be fully operational, maybe even sooner.”
“This swift development of the capability to launch large-scale drone attacks using UAS poses a strategic threat to NATO countries,” he added, pointing out that many NATO countries lack comprehensive anti-drone defense systems.
Despite Russia typically launching drones in small batches throughout the day, the new base potentially has the capacity to launch 100 or more jet-powered drones within 24 hours.
Rob Jordan, project director at the London-based think tank Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), stated that the concrete pads and two possible take-off tracks shown in the images align with the launch trajectory of Russian “Geran” drones.
He remarked, “Completing such a construction of this scale in such a short period is impressive. It indicates that Russia is placing high hopes on its ability for deep-strike operations.”