Flash warns of new charge for Shaheds that could destroy bridges

Cables as a weak point

Serhiy Beskrestnov, the President of Ukraine's adviser on the development of defence technology areas, known by the pseudonym "Flash", warned about the emergence of a new type of warhead for Russian Shahed suicide drones. According to him, this modification could pose a serious threat to bridge crossings.

«Раніше вважалося, що зруйнувати мости неможливо — у них є запас міцності. Але Росія розробила спеціальний кумулятивний елемент, який перерізає ванти. Такі спроби вже були: ними атакували електричні опори. Тепер вони можуть завдавати удари прямо по вантам. Фахівці оцінювали запас міцності, і він є, але при атаках на ванти міст може зруйнуватися. У вантових мостів це найслабше місце» (It was previously believed that destroying bridges was impossible — they have a safety margin. But Russia has developed a special shaped charge element that cuts cables. Such attempts have already been made: they attacked electricity pylons. Now they can strike directly at the cables. Experts assessed the safety margin, and it exists, but when attacking the cables, the bridge may collapse. In cable-stayed bridges, this is the weakest point), Beskrestnov explained.

Mechanism of infrastructure damage

According to the President's adviser, the new charge is capable of physically cutting the load-bearing cables, which will lead to the collapse of the entire bridge structure. Although bridges traditionally have a significant safety margin, targeted damage to the cables makes them critically vulnerable to such attacks.

Context of developing countermeasures

Previously, the ANTICOR portal reported that work is ongoing in Ukraine on systems to counter jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles. Serhiy Beskrestnov then spoke about the technical difficulties associated with scaling the production of experimental interceptor developments.