Ukrainian defence tech company Wild Hornets is conducting combat trials of its new Sting S interceptor drone. The manufacturer told Defender Media.
According to the company’s data, the warhead of this model weighs up to 90 kg, and its range reaches 950 km. Sting S is currently being tested in selected units. The company says that once this stage is completed, it will be able to move to scaling up production within a fairly short timeframe. Until production begins, the manufacturer is not disclosing the technical specifications of the new interceptor.
Wild Hornets said that most targets during the combat trials were destroyed using Hornet Vision Ctrl remote-control technology, which allows operators to control interceptor drones remotely from hundreds of kilometres away from the launch site and provides low signal latency.
“We expect this will make it possible to quickly scale up the use of the new interceptor after mass production begins and deliveries to combat units start,” the company said.
STING S takes down a Geran-5 jet-powered drone-missile ❗️💥 The crew from the 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment took down a Russian Geran-5 using the new STING S. This drone is faster and carries a larger explosive payload than other Geran variants. Big thanks to the military for their expert work! More to come 😎
— Wild Hornets (@wilendhornets) September 19, 2026
Ukraine is currently seeking ways at various levels to counter jet-powered drones. At the end of August, Defence Minister Yevhen Khmara said there are already four potential interceptors that can shoot down Russian jet-powered Shahed drones.
Meanwhile, Brave1 CEO Andriy Hrytsenyuk said that to counter Russian jet-powered UAVs, the cluster is working in four areas:
- turbojet interceptors with an engine like that of a cruise missile;
- impeller-driven electric interceptors — around eight times cheaper (the engine costs $500-1 000 versus $5 000-8 000 for a turbojet);
- ultra-fast electric racing quadcopters capable of accelerating to more than 450 km/h;
- systems for shooting down Shaheds on head-on courses, which six companies are working on.