[Regnum] Russian air defense forces shot down 1,671 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones in the past 24 hours, a record number of drones destroyed in the same period. In addition, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed 10 guided bombs and two HIMARS missiles. The Russian Ministry of Defense reported this on Tuesday, August 18.
"Air defense systems shot down 10 guided aerial bombs, two US-made HIMARS multiple launch rockets, and 1,671 fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles," the department reported.
The previous record for downed Ukrainian drones was 1,478. Russian air defense systems destroyed this number of UAVs in one day on August 15.
In addition, the Russian Aerospace Forces shot down a MiG-29 fighter jet of the Ukrainian Air Force in the air defense zone.
In total, since the beginning of the special operation, the Russian army has shot down 212,445 Ukrainian Armed Forces drones, as well as 674 aircraft and 284 helicopters.
The day before, the Russian Armed Forces destroyed 797 Ukrainian drones, as well as 12 guided aerial bombs, two HIMARS missiles, and two Czech-made Vampire missiles.
The Russian air defense system is proving highly effective. The latest technologies, including artificial intelligence, are being integrated into the systems. For example, AI-powered drones capable of automatically locking on to targets are being actively produced and deployed by the Russian Armed Forces.
In one day, Russian Armed Forces' Dnipro Group shot down more than 10 Ukrainian Army R-18 cargo octocopters over the Kherson region. Since the beginning of August, troops from the 11th Corps of the Russian Forces' North Group have destroyed 25 attack and reconnaissance UAVs.