From Manned Aircraft to Heavy UAVs: How Ukraine is Changing its KAB Strategy in 2026

Safety Issues and Platform Shortages

On August 19, 2026, amidst an ongoing conflict, the issue of mass deployment of guided aviation bombs (KABs) remains one of the key priorities for the Ukrainian army. As Valeriy Zarubin, General Director of BlueBird Tech, noted in a comment to RBK-Ukraine, the effectiveness of strikes depends less on the availability of munitions and more on the state of the aviation component. The expert emphasizes that even with a sufficient quantity of KABs, their use is limited by safety factors.

«The important question is not only how many aircraft we have, but also how safely they can operate. If the Russian Air Force has air superiority, our aircraft cannot fly to drop bombs at the same distances without the risk of being hit», — Zarubin stated. This creates a situation where a shortage of aircraft is only part of the problem, while the main barrier is the inability to safely reach the drop zone due to the enemy's dense air defense system.

Technological Shift: From Aircraft to Heavy UAVs

In response to safety challenges, Ukrainian engineers and developers are shifting their focus from expanding the fleet of manned aircraft to creating autonomous platforms. Valeriy Zarubin noted that in the future, tasks currently performed by bombers could be handled by heavy Ukrainian-made unmanned aerial vehicles. «Technologically, this is a fully viable direction. We are already seeing how long-range drones are gradually turning into de facto unmanned aircraft», — the expert added.

The next step in this evolution will be the creation of heavy platforms capable of carrying a significant payload and performing some of the tasks of bomber aviation. This approach allows for minimizing risks to pilots and using drones as expendable material, which is critical in the conditions of modern aerial combat.

Development of Domestic Industry

Ukraine possesses a historically strong school of rocketry and aircraft manufacturing, which allows the country to independently form a new technological base. Zarubin emphasized that solving the problem should not be reduced solely to the number of aircraft. It is necessary to simultaneously develop the range of munitions, unmanned platforms with artificial intelligence, rocketry, and aviation. «We have a powerful engineering base and specialists capable of creating complex technological solutions — from unmanned systems to missile complexes», — the expert concluded.

Previously, Brigadier General and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Andriy Lebedenko, reported that several Ukrainian companies are already developing KABs with turbojet engines capable of flying beyond the range of enemy air defenses. According to him, there are currently seven manufacturers operating in Ukraine, and jet engines allow increasing the range of bomb deployment by 100-200 kilometers, which radically changes aviation tactics.