Technology for autonomous interception of Shahed drones created in Ukraine, defence minister says – video

Ukrainian interceptor drones can autonomously shoot down Shahed-type loitering munitions, and Ukraine's Ministry of Defence is scaling up such solutions.

Source: Ukrainian Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov

Quote from Fedorov: "A participant of the Brave1 has created a technology that automates 95% of the entire interception process, from launching a drone to destroying a Shahed. The development has successfully passed combat testing in Kharkiv Oblast."

Fedorov said the drone operator sees the target's movement in real time, selects it and gives the command to engage. After that, the system independently guides the drone towards it, autonomously identifies the object and locks onto the Shahed drone.

Fedorov noted that thanks to support from Brave1, a Ukrainian defence tech cluster and government-backed platform for military innovation, the manufacturer was able to move from prototype development to successful combat use in less than a year.

Quote: "Autonomy is one of the key areas of development of modern air defence. Technologies like this enable faster responses to large-scale attacks and more effective protection of Ukrainian cities. We are scaling solutions that have already proved their effectiveness in combat conditions."

Fedorov reported earlier that Ukraine is working on creating cheap interceptor missiles to combat Shahed loitering munitions and is already testing some solutions.

It was also reported that Ukraine is introducing a new level of short-range air defence, with interceptor drones now able to be controlled from thousands of kilometres away, while more than 10 manufacturers have already integrated the system into their platforms.

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