A Ukrainian engineer has created a cost-effective system for capturing Mavic drones and ambush UAVs: here's how it works
Russian reconnaissance drones have long posed a serious challenge for Ukrainian infantry on the front lines. Russian assaults are routinely supported by aerial surveillance, while uncrewed aerial systems (UAVs) dropping explosives disrupt rotations and movement between trenches.
Drones operated by Russian forces keep nearby rear areas under constant watch, hunting for Ukrainian tanks, artillery, communications gear and electronic warfare systems. In response, pump-action shotguns and short-range, portable electronic warfare kits have become standard issue not just for infantry, but for artillery and tank crews as well as communications units. They are used to bring down Mavic drones and first-person view (FPV) UAVs as they close in to strike Ukrainian positions and personnel.
However, none of these measures is entirely reliable. Maintaining a continuous electronic warfare dome is not feasible, shotgun defence depends on human performance and there are barely enough expensive interceptor drones to counter Shahed loitering munitions or fixed-wing reconnaissance UAVs. Using them against FPVs costing about US$500 makes little sense.
For this reason, the Ukrainian military added another layer to its air defence in response to the threat posed by Russian quadcopters and FPV drones. Ukrainian drone crews realised that quadcopters could be turned into weapons against other quadcopters.
Initially, Ukrainian drone pilots brought down Russian UAVs by ramming them. Soon, they were using FPVs to blow Moscow's drones out of the sky. But this simply became a "drone-for-drone" swap, with no way to save the aircraft for future operations.
The next step was to mount shotguns directly onto Ukrainian drones. This meant the aircraft could fly back after an engagement, but it also exposed new problems. Shotgun‑equipped drones can fire only one or two shells before returning to reload, and poorly balanced recoil risks overturning the drone in flight.
Ukrainska Pravda has interviewed Andrii Pavlovskyi, a Ukrainian engineer who developed one of the first "drone shotguns". At the outset of the full-scale war, he built logistics and bomb‑disposal robots for friends on the front lines. But when the skies became a new battlefield, he pivoted to designing tools to take down Russian quadcopters.
He went on to develop and patent a recoil‑free shotgun shell that produces almost no perceptible kick for the drone platform when fired in mid‑air.
Meanwhile, Pavlovskyi had been working on a far simpler device. Initially, he dismissed it as unpromising, but this cost-effective device is now in use against Russian reconnaissance and FPV drones as well as ambush UAVs – those the Russians leave on standby along roads, waiting for targets.
The product, called Aero Trawl, does more than shoot down Russian UAVs – it enables their capture and transfer to Ukrainian intelligence.
The device has been patented and is available on the Brave1 Market, a platform for Ukrainian forces to manage their own decentralised military supply. The cost of one system is UAH 800 (roughly US$18.50).
In an exclusive interview with Ukrainska Pravda, Pavlovskyi outlined Aero Trawl's creation, production and operational use.
How Aero Trawl works
The device is purely mechanical, with no electronics onboard, and is mounted on a quadcopter with a 10- to 15-inch frame. Visually, it looks like a sea trawl – effectively a net, similar to those used by fishing vessels as well as warships to sweep for mines.
Aero Trawl abandons the conventional mesh in favour of vertical slings – thin, high-strength cords that snare the propellers of enemy drones. The entire system weighs just 300 g, significantly lighter than a shotgun interceptor, which typically weighs around 1.5 kg. Because of its sling structure, the device has no impact on the UAV's aerodynamics.
Aero Trawl can be attached to a drone in about one minute using ties or clips. The system is deployed from the moment of take-off.
"First, the enemy reconnaissance drone is detected, either by radar or visually", Pavlovskyi said. "A command is then given to take off and move towards the target. Obviously, the Aero Trawl is most effective when the carrier UAV is equipped with a thermal imaging camera, as this allows the operator to clearly see the enemy quadcopter and approach it. There can be as many approaches as necessary to capture the target. At the moment of capture, the Russian pilot has no idea what is happening. The trawl cannot be seen from a distance, and even if the camera is pointed at the Ukrainian drone, it is too late to do anything."
The system was developed by Pavlovskyi as a defensive tool and is intended for use only above Ukrainian-held positions.
There are two options: the trawl can be detached after the Russian drone is disabled, causing it to fall immediately, or the captured UAV can be transported to the rear and recovered for research once its battery runs flat. The trawl, including the release mechanism, weighs 450 g.
Pavlovskyi said a Ukrainian military unit that had mastered his system was able to shoot down 14 Russian UAVs in 15 sorties using the Aero Trawl.
"Right now, a Russian ambush drone costs roughly US$1,000-1,500, a DJI Matrice 4T about US$5,000 and the Aero Trawl system just US$20", Pavlovskyi stresses.
Pavlovskyi has also adapted the Aero Trawl to carry explosive charges for laying mines and targeting antennas, stationary communications towers and artillery barrels. Tests at a training range showed the drone can attach the charge and move away before it detonates.
"At the training ground, we experimented with Kevlar slings, which are the narrowest," the developer said. "They are completely invisible in the sky, both from the ground and from a drone's camera. Only at a distance of about three metres could the operator [of a drone that was being captured] spot them. In the end, we opted for larger slings. They make the system even cheaper."
So far, several hundred devices have been supplied to frontline military units so that they can develop tactics for its use, train their drone operators and obtain feedback for further refinements of the system.
"This system is for assault and infantry units constantly in the trenches, where enemy reconnaissance drones are a major problem", Pavlovskyi said. "I also focus on special forces on frontline missions.
So far, I've been making every Aero Trawl myself, so it's hard to distribute them in large numbers. The production needs to be scaled up."
A single person with minimal technical training can produce 10 interception devices a day. Pavlovskyi intends to ramp up production.
Aero Trawl vs similar Russian experiments
Pavlovskyi said the Russians have been experimenting with a similar anti-drone system. One of these devices was seen during combat operations in Sumy Oblast.
However, the Russian drone's rectangular design creates a sail effect, reducing manoeuvrability at high speeds and making it harder to control. The net itself can be blown backwards or moved off course by the wind.
Such a system requires a high level of pilot skill and attention to weather conditions. Pavlovskyi adds that the vertical net also prevents the Russian drone from transporting captured UAVs back to its positions or from delivering explosives for separate strikes.
Pavlovskyi drew on the experience of the Russians and the Ukrainian team Dronarium, which experimented with capturing a drone using a net in 2015. The experiment followed a viral video from Japan showing local police practising the capture of intruding drones.
Dronarium used a more powerful DJI S-900 hexacopter as the carrier, which revealed the main shortcomings of the system.
"I was able to solve the issues of that decade-old design by taking a completely new approach," Pavlovskyi said. "We ran some tests with experts from the Dronarium training academy. They showed great interest, and I proposed incorporating the Aero Trawl drone capture system into the academy's training programme."
Translation: Artem Yakymyshyn
Editing: Shoël Stadlen