Ukrainian unmanned-systems manufacturer Vluchnyk has completed the full cycle of in-house testing of its new Zorelit v5 interceptor drone. The company told the Militarnyi outlet.
The Zorelit v5 was developed as a means of intercepting aerial targets directly along their flight path. According to the manufacturer, the drone is intended to counter reconnaissance UAVs, Russia’s Herbera and Geran-2 drones, as well as the high-speed jet-powered Geran-3 and Geran-4 drones.
According to the manufacturer, the drone’s maximum speed is 416 km/h, and its range on a single charge is up to 47 km. At a cruising speed of around 200 km/h, the aircraft can remain airborne for up to 17 minutes. The company also notes that the drone is designed to carry a warhead weighing between 300 and 600 grams. The stated maximum speed is intended to enable engagement of targets with a cruising speed of 300–350 km/h.
The manufacturer has предусмотрів the option of additionally equipping the interceptor with an automatic target-detection and illumination system based on artificial-intelligence algorithms. In addition, a function is being developed to automatically guide the aircraft to the target on the final segment of the flight — the last mile.
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Another option is integration with the SkyMap system. It provides automatic routing of the drone to the target’s location and calculates the optimal interception trajectory, taking battery charge consumption into account. Support is also claimed for remote control of the aircraft and for transmitting video over the internet.
The new interceptor was created on the basis of the previous Zorelit v4 model. According to the company, this version already has a record of successful combat use, has been adopted into service, and has received a NATO Stock Number (NSN). Some of the technical solutions that were proven during the v4’s combat use have been carried over into the new modification.
According to the developer, during testing the Zorelit v5 confirmed its stated tactical and technical characteristics and is ready for delivery to the military. Stepan Radiboh, director of Vluchnyk LLC, said the company is already open to direct contracts with military units. After codification, the product is also planned to be made available via eBaly.
The drone’s basic package includes a camera swivel mechanism, an ELRS control system with the option to choose the operating band, a 2.5 W video transmitter, as well as a warhead initiation board with remote detonation and a physical safety pin. According to information on the manufacturer’s website, the UAV costs 89,500 hryvnias.
As of July, since the start of 2026 the Ministry of Defence has codified and authorised for use in Ukraine’s Defence Forces 413 unmanned aerial systems. Almost all of the equipment is Ukrainian-made. The defence ministry said that more than 30% more unmanned aerial systems have been codified so far than in the same period of 2025, and more than 73% more than in the same period of 2024.
The list of systems codified since the start of 2026 includes:
- aerial reconnaissance platforms of aerostat, fixed-wing and multicopter types;
- strike drones of fixed-wing and multicopter types;
- FPV;
- UAS bombers;
- interceptor drones;
- relay drones;
- target drones;
- fibre-optic UAS;
- front-strike;
- deep-strike.