Interceptor drones have proved to be a game changer in Ukraine's defense against Russian attacks. These low-cost drones have destroyed over 1,000 Russian Shahed and other drones in just four months.

Kyiv

A new generation of Ukrainian-made interceptor drones has become a crucial component of the country's air defense in 2025, successfully destroying over 1,000 Russian Shahed and similar drones within four months. The deployment comes amid a dramatic increase in Russian drone attacks, with more than 44,000 drones launched at Ukraine in the first ten months of the year, according to the US Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

Interceptor drones, such as the Sting model from Wild Hornets, offer a cost-effective alternative to traditional air defenses, costing as little as $700 per unit. Organizations like the Come Back Alive Foundation have supported the Ukrainian military with these drones, helping destroy thousands of targets. The technology has attracted international attention, particularly after incidents involving drones in European airspace.

Ukrainian military defense gets boost from interceptor drones

This new type of drone exploded onto the scene in early 2025. Over the course of the year it has begun to play a crucial role in the defence of Ukraine. Known as interceptors, drones like this destroyed more than 1,000 Russian Shahed and other drones in just four months. One operator says using a model called the Sting from Ukrainian manufacturer Wild Hornets, he managed to shoot down 11 Russian attack drones. I was very surprised, but not too shocked by it, because so much time has passed, so much effort has been made to get to this goal. Russia fired more than 44,000 Shaheds and similar drones at Ukraine in the first ten months of 2025. That's a four-fold increase on last year's figures, according to the US Centre for Strategic and International Studies. The new interceptor drones are being deployed to counter the onslaught. Back in spring they were almost unknown. Now they're destroying dozens of targets. Interceptor drones have taken their own rather important niche. It's not a magic pill. It doesn't eliminate all the attacks on the country, but they take away their share of Shaheds. This mobile unit, made up of three operators, recently used the interceptor drones to destroy four Shaheds in one night. This is a Shahed that was flying at civilians. It was destroyed three days ago by our team. It was carrying 50 kilograms of explosives. It exploded in the air. The debris fell on a clean field that was far away from people. This is all that was left of it. The engine, the wing and some parts. Everything else burned down. One organisation that's providing the military with interceptor drones is the Come Back Alive Foundation. Funded by private donations, they have helped the interceptor crews destroy 10,000 targets, including nearly 700 Shaheds. This drone came about because of a lack of funds. It was conceived of as an alternative to conventional air defences, because spending a significant amount of funds and resources on conventional air defences, on one downed Orlan, Zala or SuperCam, is quite expensive and not very rational when you can shoot them down or hit them with drones that cost a maximum of $700. Since unidentified drones began causing disruption at European airports and Russian attack drones violated NATO airspace, other countries have also become interested in Ukraine's interceptors. NATO countries are not ready for modern warfare. They're not ready for both infantry warfare and air warfare. We had experience. We, the military, presented our drone in a NATO country. We demonstrated how effectively one of NATO's Shaheed-like drones was shot down. And they were surprised, because the cost of the sting is only a few thousand dollars, and the cost of a downed drone is tens of thousands of dollars. For these soldiers, the hunt for Shaheds is just beginning, and they're already looking forward to making a difference. The excitement is very high when you've destroyed one, and you want to destroy them and destroy them because they hit people, everyone who's innocent. People who are suffering from these Shaheds, my relatives are also suffering from this. And that's why there's even more adrenaline to stop it from flying anywhere.

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