Ukraine develops interceptor drone for Shaheds - The Telegraph
Photo: The Shahed interceptor was created in Ukraine
Ukraine is developing a drone capable of intercepting Russian-made Iranian kamikaze drones. It will be used to pursue and intercept the Shahed-136, providing an alternative to conventional air defense systems to protect Ukrainian cities from Russian strikes, reports The Telegraph.
According to the publication, photographs of the FPV drone Sting are being released for the first time. Its developers, the Wild Hornets group, claim that their latest creation can fly at speeds of over 160 km/h and at an altitude of approximately 3 km.
Sting is a classic quadcopter with a large dome protruding from the center, where the warhead and camera are mounted. It will be controlled from the ground using virtual reality goggles, allowing the operator to see exactly where the aircraft is flying. The future development will include an artificial intelligence-based targeting system, enabling the pilot to lock onto enemy targets.
Similar drones have been used to intercept Russian reconnaissance drones that fly high and slowly over the battlefield, gathering intelligence for artillery and missile units.
Videos showing Ukrainian drones crashing into Russian Orlan and Zala drones are increasingly circulating on social media, as Kyiv's forces utilize UAVs to disable surveillance systems.
However, Sting will be the first drone specifically designed to combat Iranian Shahed drones launched by Russian forces.
Scale of attacks - a challenge for Ukraine
Currently, a factory in Yelabuga (southeast of Tatarstan) in Russia produces over 6,000 Shahed-type drones annually. Its forces launch between 30 and 80 loitering munitions daily toward Ukrainian cities.
The scale of these attacks has posed a serious challenge for Ukraine's air defense units, which are running low on expensive Western-made surface-to-air missiles.
"Its average cost is dozens of times lower than that of the Shahed drone," a source from Wild Hornet reported about the Sting drone.
There is hope that by using inexpensive kamikaze drones to destroy incoming Shahed drones, Ukraine can conserve its stock of air defense missiles for what has turned into a prolonged war of attrition against Russia.
Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that his country is on track to produce 1.5 million drones this year, with plans to increase production to approximately 4 million annually.
It is also worth noting that President Zelenskyy mentioned that Ukraine may soon strengthen its air defense capabilities, particularly for better intercepting enemy missiles and drones.
