United to win: Australian company delivers Slinger anti-drone systems

The Australian company Electro Optic Systems (EOS) delivered Slinger counter-drone systems to the Ukrainian army.

The dubbed "drone killer" will down Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drones Russia uses to attack civilians and energy infrastructure, Rubryka reports, citing the Army of Drones.

What is the problem?

Russia has reportedly started producing single-action unmanned aerial vehicles based on Iran's Shahed designs inside the country for more attacks on Ukraine.

In recent months, drone attacks on Ukrainian regions have dramatically intensified. The country's south is particularly affected by kamikaze drone strikes.

Air Force spokesperson Colonel Yurii Ihnat said Russia increasingly used kamikaze drones in attacks on Ukraine because they are "easier, faster, cheaper."

"[Russian] focused on drone production because rockets can not be manufactured quickly, especially if the sanctions are strengthened," the colonel said.

To shoot down a Shahed-136/131 kamikaze drone, which costs about $31,000, the Air Force has to use anti-aircraft missiles that can cost ten times that much each.

What is the solution?

The Electro Optic Systems delivered Slinger systems designed to track and down drones at a fraction of the cost of missiles. 

"It's easy to use and deployable on a wide range of platforms — from 4×4 trucks and static positions all the way through to armored fighting vehicles," Matt Jones from EOS told the Australian public broadcaster ABC News. "It could go on a tank or armored fighting vehicle but could also be used off the back of a pick-up truck."

How does it work?

The system is said to be capable of single-shot fire and has modes of 100 or 200 rounds per minute using thermal and night vision. It consists of one 30mm Bushmaster M230LF gun and a 7.62 mm FN MAG machine gun.

Combined with an optical-electronic system and radar, the complex displays high accuracy against small-sized aerial targets such as the DJI Phantom drones, which can be downed at a distance of 1 km.

The target detection range of the optical-electronic system is 12 km during the day and 13.7 by night. The Slinger can use high-explosive munitions with active radar homing, allowing the system to strike small drones.

The Ukrainian authorities ordered 110 of these systems to be installed on M113 armored personnel carriers. Another 50 were ordered by the private company Praktyka. The company plans to install these modules on its armored vehicles. The order cost about $170 million.

Rubryka reported that the Ukrainian volunteers purchased electronic warfare devices that can be installed on armored vehicles.

Poland also delivered a batch of repaired Leopard 2 tanks to Ukraine.