Inside Ukrainian STING interceptor that boasts 80-90% hit rate - video
Sting FPV-drone interceptor at the exhibition (Photo: REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko)
Saudi oil giant Saudi Aramco is negotiating with at least two Ukrainian companies to buy interceptor drones to protect its oil fields from Iranian attacks, The Wall Street Journal reported on March 12.
This interest from the world's largest oil company is driven by Ukraine's unique, combat-tested experience in neutralizing the exact same Iranian-designed drones that threaten the Middle East. After years of defending its own energy grid against relentless Shahed swarms, Kyiv's defense sector has developed highly effective, low-cost FPV interceptors that offer a proven shield for Saudi Arabia's vulnerable infrastructure.
WSJ sources reported that Aramco representatives are negotiating with Ukrainian companies SkyFall (P1-SUN drones) and Wild Hornets (STING).
On March 10, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Ukraine already sent three teams of experts to the Middle East to help fight Iranian drones. He noted that the first countries the Ukrainian specialists traveled to were Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
STING is an FPV interceptor designed to destroy enemy Shahed-type combat UAVs and reconnaissance drones. In Jan. 2026, the drone successfully hit a Russian Shahed equipped with an R-60 air-to-air missile.
The manufacturer data indicated that the average percentage of successful hits is 80-90%, depending on the military unit. Wild Hornets calls STING the most effective Shahed interceptor.
STING drone characteristics
Manufacturer: Ukraine
Start of use: 2025
Speed: up to 315 km/h
Flight altitude: up to 7 km
Flight range: 37 km
Flight duration: up to 15 min
Payload: 0.5 kg
Warhead: 500 g
Deployment time: up to 15 min
Cost: $1k
STING is built on a classic quadcopter design with a streamlined body and a large dome housing a thermal imaging camera and the warhead. It features a Kurbas thermal imaging camera and is compatible with any FPV station, although it works best with a ground control station. The drone can take off from any surface without a catapult, and the operator can also cancel the launch and redirect it to another target.
STING is equipped with a remote detonation mechanism for the explosive charge via the control panel. It is piloted using VR goggles, allowing the operator to see and identify the target in real time. It has an AI-based guidance system and destroys the enemy target by ramming it or detonating the warhead nearby.
Data from the manufacturer, Militarnyi
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