Zelenskyy expects 400 jet-powered drone interceptors to be produced in October, but their effectiveness varies

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine could produce around 400 units of one model of high-speed interceptor drone for countering Russian jet-powered drones as early as October, but there are questions over their effectiveness.

Source: Zelenskyy in an interview with the Financial Times, as cited by the president's press service

Details: Zelenskyy said F-16 fighter jets currently destroy 50-60% of jet-powered drones. This is one method, and Ukraine is working extensively to obtain weapons for the F-16s. The second method is high-speed interceptors. Ukraine is currently testing five interceptor models.

However, their effectiveness is problematic: it is 70% one day and 30% the next. Therefore, the answer to the question "When can we scale up the production?" is that Ukraine does not have billions to produce a million ineffective interceptors.

The main issue is the engines. Zelenskyy said Ukraine imports a lot and produces some itself, but these volumes are insufficient.

Quote: "So out of these five samples, some were used five times, some ten, and some only once. But you had one, and destroyed one Russian drone. This is the problem. I don't know the exact date, but in October, we will have 400 of these interceptors. And it is normal when you use 400 interceptors over several days of attacks, and you say, 'Look, guys, sorry, but it destroys only 10%. It doesn't work.' Or, for example, if it is 30% or more, 'Great, guys, you have to work a little bit on it, and when the percentage is 60-70% – huge success'."

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