Ukraine is taking steps to develop an interceptor drone capable of tracking and shooting down some of the enemy unmanned aerial vehicles buzzing above the battlefield.
On Wednesday, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s Minister of Digital Transformation, announced that the country wants to start building interceptor drones to neutralize Russian surveillance drones, particularly the Orlan, SuperCam and ZALA drones.
On behalf of Brave1, a defense innovation operation backed by the Ukrainian government, Fedorov enlisted the help of engineers on his Telegram channel to develop interceptor drones as an alternative to wasting valuable surface-to-air missiles to eliminate Russian drones.
The interceptor, he explained, must be capable of flying up to 150 kilometers per hour and up to a height of 1,500 meters. It must also be able to receive preliminary information about a target, quickly take off and locate it, and then eliminate the enemy drone.
This system, Fedorov explained, would give Ukraine a cheaper tool in its arsenal to destroy Russian unmanned reconnaissance aircraft functioning as “eyes for Russian artillery and strike drones”, the latter referring to the Explosive FPV drones.
Fedorov’s call for help comes as Ukraine lacks interceptor missiles for its air defense systems and must conserve supplies to counter precision-guided munitions, like the Russian missiles regularly launched at its cities alongside of one-way attack drones. Russia has increased the intensity and frequency of its missile and drone airstrikes in recent months.
The attacks are forcing Ukraine to limit its air defense coverage along the front lines and focus on civilian population centers. And with crucial Western aid blocked in Congress and NATO often struggling to quickly deliver weapons and assistance to kyiv, the situation is increasingly dire.
Interceptor drones, as Fedorov suggested, are a cheaper option for shooting down drones and UAVs so that Ukraine can preserve its air defense.
Waging the drone war
Explosive drones are ready to be dispatched to the battlefield in kyiv region, Ukraine. Evgueni Maloletka/AP
Ukraine has long prioritized the development of drone systems, and these unmanned assets have played a central role in the war so far.
This is also not the first time Ukraine has sought to develop drones capable of hunting and killing other drones, although it differs from previous efforts. The Shahed Hunter System, an anti-drone defense system purchased with funds from crowdfunding platform UNITED24, releases interceptor drones with sturdy nets to capture incoming enemy drones.
Once the drone is caught, a parachute is released to lower it slowly to the ground, thus avoiding explosions.
In a video of the system in action, the English captions read: “The first ‘Shahed Hunters’ have already gone hunting. These anti-drone systems can: detect enemy drones, jam GPS signals, intercept devices in the sky. Let the drone hunt begin!”
At sea, Ukraine’s fleet of naval drones is relentless, regularly damaging or even sinking Russian ships and blocking freedom of movement in the region. In the skies, Ukraine and Russia are engaged in an intense drone war, in which both sides rely on drones to gather information, carry out strikes on enemy positions, and surprise attack enemy forces. Robotic vehicles are also part of the mix.
And with all these drones moving into the battlespace, there have also been drone-on-drone fights, most recently in video of fights near Avdiivka, where Ukrainian quadcopter drones took out two ground combat robots Russians. Today, Ukraine is seeking to develop technology capable of hunting a different type of game.
businessinsider
