Ukraine makes big bet on interceptor drones amid Russian strikes

When President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said at the end of last month that Ukraine needs $6 billion to fund the production of interceptor drones, setting a target of 1,000 a day, he had his reasons. The use of interceptor drones by Ukraine to defend against Russian attacks has reshaped the battlefield by doing work once reserved for long‑range missiles, field artillery and human intelligence. The interceptors are crucial as Ukraine’s stock of air‑defense missiles starts to dwindle. Some estimates put the interceptors’ speed at over 190 mph, although the precise figures are closely guarded. According to Nonka, it can down a Russian spotter drone at about a fifth of the cost of doing so with a missile. In the three and a half years since Russia invaded Ukraine at scale, drones have gone from an auxiliary tool to one of the primary means of waging war for both sides. Ukrainian forces are using interceptors to hit the long‑range Shahed “kamikaze” drones that Russia launches at Kyiv and other cities. To chase them down, interceptor drones need to be faster and more powerful than those that have already revolutionized long‑range precision strikes and aerial reconnaissance. They are flown by a pilot on the ground through the video feed from an onboard camera. Most of the regiment’s interceptor drones are provided by military charities, like the Come Back Alive Foundation, that crowdfund weapons and equipment through donations from civilians. Since the project began a year ago, the organization says over 3,000 enemy drones have been downed by equipment it provided, nearly half of them in the last two months.