--- title: "RF Launches 315 Drones at Ukraine on Oct 16 Afternoon, 78 Jet-Powered: Air Defense Results" description: "On the afternoon of October 16, the RF launched 315 strike drones at Ukraine, 78 of them jet-powered, along with 15 S-8000 units. Air defense shot down 253 UAVs and 9 S-8000s, with about 35 devices remaining in the air by 7:00 PM." date: 2026-10-16T22:08:56.168Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/rf-launches-315-drones-ukraine-air-defense tags: [ukraine-war, drones, air-defense, russia, shahed] author: "Marina Slivenko" publisher: "XAB.info" --- # RF Launches 315 Drones at Ukraine on Oct 16 Afternoon, 78 Jet-Powered: Air Defense Results ![Ukrainian serviceman operating a heavy machine gun on a pickup truck](https://xab.info/media/2026/10/16/rf-dnem-zapustila-315-dronov-po-ukraine-pvo-sbila-253/rf-dnem-zapustila-315-dronov-po-ukraine-pvo-sbila-253-1.webp) ## Key Points - On October 16 afternoon, the RF launched 315 strike UAVs (78 jet-powered) and 15 S-8000 Banderol/Dan-T units at Ukraine. - According to preliminary data, air defense shot down/suppressed 253 UAVs (49 jet-powered) and 9 S-8000 units. - By 7:00 PM, about 35 strike drones were still in Ukrainian airspace. - The attack followed a series of strikes: 149 drones on the night of Oct 16 and 138 on the morning of Oct 15. On the afternoon of October 16, 2026, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation launched one of the most massive daytime unmanned aerial attacks in recent days against Ukraine. According to the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM, the occupiers fired 315 strike UAVs of various types across the country, including Gerbera and jet-powered drones, as well as 15 so-called S-8000 Banderol/Dan-T units. This was reported by RBC-Ukraine citing an official statement from the Air Force on Telegram. ### Scale of the Daytime Attack Among the 315 drones launched during the daytime, 78 turned out to be jet-powered—these are high-speed vehicles that are significantly harder to intercept compared to Shahed-type kamikaze drones. Additionally, 15 S-8000 Banderol/Dan-T units participated in the attack; according to Ukrainian military estimates, these modified strike UAVs are used to target ground objects at long distances. ### Air Defense Performance According to preliminary Air Force data, air defense systems shot down or suppressed 253 drones, of which 49 were jet-powered. Furthermore, air defense destroyed 9 S-8000 Banderol/Dan-T units. Thus, as of 7:00 PM, about 35 strike drones were still present in Ukraine's airspace and being tracked by interception systems. ### Context: Strikes Around October 16 The daytime attack became a continuation of a series of massive strikes. On the night of October 16, according to RBC-Ukraine, Russia attacked Ukraine with 149 strike drones, 108 of which were jet-powered; among those shot down were 77 jet-powered Shaheds. On the morning of October 15, the RF launched 138 strike drones, more than half of which were jet-powered, with air defense shooting down/suppressing 125 devices (79 jet-powered). ### What This Means The combination of night and day attack waves with a high proportion of jet-powered drones indicates the enemy's attempt to overwhelm air defense systems while simultaneously targeting objects throughout daylight hours. The Air Force emphasizes that data on the number of shot-down devices is preliminary and is being updated as information from interception posts is processed. ## Fact-Check & Sources - [РФ днем запустила более 300 дронов и "Бандероли": сколько сбила ПВО](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/rf-uden-zapustila-ponad-300-droniv-i-banderoli-1792171241.html) - Primary source: UA Air Force statement on Telegram. Preliminary figures: 315 UAVs (78 jet) + 15 S-8000 launched; 253 UAVs (49 jet) + 9 S-8000 shot down; ~35 in air by 7 PM. Context of night attack on Oct 16 (149 drones) and morning attack on Oct 15 (138 drones). ## FAQ ### How many drones did Russia launch on the afternoon of October 16? According to the Ukrainian Air Force, between 7:00 AM and 7:00 PM, 315 strike UAVs (78 jet-powered) and 15 S-8000 Banderol/Dan-T units were launched. ### How many drones did air defense shoot down? According to preliminary data, 253 UAVs (49 jet-powered) and 9 S-8000 units were shot down or suppressed. Around 35 strike drones remained in the air by 7:00 PM. ### Were there attacks on other days? Yes. On the night of October 16, Russia attacked with 149 drones (108 jet-powered), and on the morning of October 15 with 138 drones, of which air defense shot down 125.