Why Drones Pose a Different Challenge for Ukraine than Missiles

LONDON, Oct 20 (Reuters) – Since President Vladimir Putin shifted tactics last week to mount air strikes on infrastructure targets across Ukraine, Moscow has ramped up its use of two main weapons: long-range cruise missiles and so-called “suicide drones”.

Both are types of aircraft that fly to a target and explode when they get there, but they pose different threats.

Missiles, each costing hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars, fly fast, are hard to shoot down and carry a huge explosive payload. But for now the bigger threat may come from the drones – small, slow, cheap and easy to shoot down, but so plentiful that they come in swarms.