Ukrainian troops down rare Russian Skat-450M drone used to guide Iskander missiles – video

Ukrainian drone operators from the Strix border guard unit have shot down a Russian Skat-450M reconnaissance drone. Russian forces use this UAV to guide Iskander cruise missiles.

Source: Ukrainian drone manufacturer Wild Hornets

Details: The Skat-450M was shot down by a Ukrainian Sting interceptor drone.

"Between 10 and 20 such drones have been destroyed since the start of hostilities. We thank the troops for such a successful hunt!" the company said.

The Skat-450M is a Russian deep reconnaissance drone. The UAV is equipped with an optical camera and a thermal imager and is used to guide the Iskander operational-tactical missile system. The Russian drone costs about US$400,000.

The Sting is a Ukrainian interceptor drone developed by a group of engineers from Wild Hornets specifically to counter Russian Shahed-type attack UAVs, making it one of the first specialised Ukrainian anti-drone UAVs.

The interceptor is equipped with an AI guidance system, can reach speeds of over 315 km/h, fly to an altitude of up to 3 km and is controlled by an operator using VR goggles. The cost of one drone is about US$2,500, which is significantly cheaper than using anti-aircraft missiles.

Background:

• At the end of December 2025, Wild Hornets posted footage of the first confirmed downing of the Iranian Shahed-107 kamikaze drone used by the Russian forces against Ukraine.
• Ukrainian forces also shot down a rare Russian Granat-4 reconnaissance UAV with a range of up to 120 km and a value of more than US$200,000 using a Sting interceptor drone.

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