Ukraine successfully tests new interceptor against Russian Shahed
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The new Ukrainian interceptor has undergone testing. (Photo: Zelenskiy / Official)
Ukraine has successfully tested another interceptor designed to counter Russia’s jet-powered attack drones, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Sept. 15.
The system successfully destroyed a Russian Shahed-type drone during the test, although further work is needed to improve its control system, Zelenskyy said following a briefing by Armed Forces Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi.
“There has been a successful test of another interceptor against Russian jet-powered drones,” Zelenskyy said. “A Shahed was successfully hit, but some aspects of controlling the interceptor still need to be refined.”
“We are continuing the work — more time is still needed.”
The announcement comes as Ukraine races to develop cheaper and faster ways of countering a growing number of high-speed Russian drones that are significantly more difficult to intercept than conventional propeller-driven Shaheds.
Zelenskyy said the meeting with Drapatyi also covered future Ukrainian military operations, including further development of the country’s long-range strike capabilities.
Together with Drapatyi and Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara, the president said they identified priority targets, the weapons required and necessary preparations.
Zelenskyy described the results of Ukrainian strikes against Russia’s oil industry, which provides revenue for Moscow’s war effort, as “quite significant.”
These attacks are also strengthening Ukraine’s diplomatic position, he said.
The president reiterated that Kyiv is prepared to take its own steps toward de-escalation but said Ukraine’s partners must be able to ensure that Russia complies with any potential commitment to stop attacking Ukrainian critical infrastructure.
“This must be long-term and reliable,” Zelenskyy said.
Ukraine races to counter jet-powered Russian drones
Ukraine has accelerated efforts to field interceptors capable of destroying Russia’s increasingly common jet-powered drones.
On Aug. 24, presidential defense technology adviser Serhii Beskrestnov, known by the call sign Flash, said Ukrainian manufacturers had not yet produced a mature jet-powered interceptor capable of reliably countering fast Shahed variants and Banderol missile-drones.
Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara said on Aug. 30 that Ukraine had four potential interceptor designs capable of engaging jet-powered Shaheds.
In early September, state defense technology cluster Brave1 released footage showing a Ukrainian-developed system destroying a Russian Banderol missile-drone.
Brave1 said the cost of the interception was substantially lower than the cost of the Russian weapon itself.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry also announced in late August that it had codified the Alexa Spatium UAV, describing it as the country’s first Ukrainian jet-powered drone interceptor.
The high-speed unmanned aircraft is intended to engage Shaheds and jet-powered drones, including Russia’s Geran-4 and Geran-5.
However, Ukrainian specialists have cautioned that systems capable of dealing reliably with jet-powered threats have not yet reached mass production at the scale required.
Zelenskyy convened a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief’s Staff on Sept. 3 focused on accelerating production of high-speed interceptors.
At the time, he said Ukrainian manufacturers already had prototypes and were working to bring the new weapons to the required level of effectiveness.
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