New Ukrainian interceptor drone accelerates to 320 km/h and is already downing Shaheds
A Ukrainian company has unveiled a new interceptor drone, Saliut, developed from real combat experience and already proven in operational use.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda, citing a press release from the developer
Quote: "A system of active counteraction against small and medium-class enemy UAVs (Shahed, Gerbera, Lancet and ZALA), designed to protect critical, civilian and military infrastructure under conditions of limited response time."
Details: The company reports that the Saliut anti-aircraft interceptor features faster interception speeds, an optimised power supply, Sine.Link integration, design improvements for safe operation in combat conditions and a dependable flow of units for combat use.
"When designing it, real-use scenarios were taken into account: typical threats, target speed, detection and engagement conditions, as well as requirements for simplicity and reliability in combat conditions", the manufacturer added.
The drone's maximum speed reaches 320 km/h, while cruising speed is estimated at 180-200 km/h. Saliut is equipped with a twilight analogue camera/thermal imaging video camera. The interceptor can be fitted with automatic target acquisition/terminal guidance.
The drone's cruising flight time is up to 20 minutes, with a maximum flight altitude of 6 km and a combat radius of 20 km.
The company says the drone was developed in just two months, from concept to the first downed target. After a month of work, the team went to the battlefield to demonstrate the interceptor to several air defence units, bringing 3D printers, tools and desktop PCs with them.
"In a week of work in a rented flat near the front lines, the airframe was almost completely redesigned in line with the military's real requests. Since then, all requests for improvements have been refined within up to two weeks, and the simplest changes are integrated within days", the Ukrainian company said.
Among the interceptor's first targets were Gerberas, and later ZALAs and Shaheds. The manufacturer also posted a video showing an operator from the Sky Wars unit of the 47th Magura Brigade downing a Shahed using the Saliut drone.
The interceptor is now listed on the Brave1 marketplace – in a closed catalogue accessible via registration in the DELTA system.
Background: Earlier, the Ukrainian defence-tech company General Chereshnia developed General Chereshnia AIR Speed, a new interceptor drone. According to the stated characteristics, its maximum speed is 236 km/h.
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