Ukrainian forces are shooting down about 57% of jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles, while the effectiveness of countering conventional drones stands at 85-90%. Ukraine is therefore accelerating the development of high-speed interceptor drones capable of destroying Russian jet-powered UAVs.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this in comments to the Financial Times.
Five models are currently being tested. According to Zelenskyy, by the end of October Ukraine will be able to produce around 400 units of one of them, while the other four models are still at the testing stage.
At the same time, scaling up production is being hampered by a shortage of engines for interceptor drones. Zelenskyy noted that Ukraine largely imports such engines, and domestic production is currently insufficient.
The president also cited a lack of funds in the budget as another problem, which is hindering the development and mass production of the weapons needed for air defence.
- Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a speech at the UN General Assembly that Ukraine has successfully tested four new types of jet-powered interceptor drones and is already scaling up their production to protect the skies. According to him, the new developments are intended, among other things, to counter jet-powered Shaheds.
- At the same time, Ukraine, together with its partners, has launched the anti-ballistic Freyja programme, which has already been joined by ten countries: Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands and Ukraine. Kyiv is also holding talks on Poland and other allies joining.