Drones as “affordable air defense”: experts on interceptor UAV prospects

Experts Valentyn Badrak and Volodymyr Horbulin from the Consortium for Defense Information told Espreso about this.

Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has effectively used reconnaissance drones to send them deep into Ukraine’s territory, hunting important targets and guiding ballistic missiles.

Typical Russian reconnaissance UAVs, Orlan, Zala, or Supercam, have a small radar cross-section, making them difficult targets for air defenses. They operate beyond the range of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS) at altitudes of 4–6 km. Using electronic warfare against them is impossible due to strong interference with friendly drones and the Russian UAVs’ high flight altitude. Thus, interceptor drones became the only viable response option.

In February 2024, fighters from the Ajax unmanned strike systems unit of the 126th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade destroyed a Russian fixed-wing attack drone for the first time using an FPV drone. According to some reports, by the end of March 2025, videos showing the interception of over 2,500 Russian reconnaissance and attack drones had been released.

Experts remind that by November 2024, Ukrainian FPV drones had already been highly successful in combating Russian reconnaissance drones. As a result, the Sky Rusoriz project alone eliminated over 400 Russian reconnaissance drones.

Interceptor unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have begun to be produced in various form factors, from FPV quadcopter drones to fixed-wing drones capable of intercepting high-speed targets.

"By 2024, a clear trend emerged: interceptor drones are developing as kamikaze quadcopters, fixed-wing interceptor UAS, and as counter-drone systems against loitering munitions like the Shahed," experts say.

Truly revolutionary events took place in summer 2024: on July 31, a two-kilogram Ukrainian drone "brought down" a 12-ton Russian helicopter. In August 2024, an air defense drone was recorded shooting down a Russian Mi-28 in an aerial battle.

In May 2025, the first video appeared showing a drone intercepting a Russian-Iranian Shahed attack drone. Defense forces reportedly successfully used the interceptor drone Sting. At the same time, it was reported that the Darknode unmanned systems unit of the 412th Nemesis Regiment destroyed about 100 Russian kamikaze drones of the Shahed and Gerber types using interceptor drones.

Interceptor drones have become widespread and are gradually becoming a part of air defense. Thanks to their relatively low cost, ease of operation, and the ability to be produced at non-specialized enterprises, interceptor UAS are becoming increasingly accessible.

In 2025, interceptor UAS began shooting down targets at previously unreachable distances. For example, in early June, a Ukrainian air defense FPV drone intercepted a Russian reconnaissance UAV Orlan-10 at a distance of 33 km behind the front line, over Kursk region territory. The interception used the latest fixed-wing FPV drone, Chaklun.

“The relatively low cost of interceptors continues to play a key role in their growing use. For instance, in 2025, the Ukrainian Defense Forces started using the fixed-wing interceptor Techno Taras, which costs only $1,600, has an altitude of up to 6,000 meters, and a range of up to 35 km. It’s no coincidence it’s been called a ‘domestic cheap air defense system,’” says Valentyn Badrak.

“We can predict that the next steps in improvement will be automation, including the widespread use of automatic target acquisition and guidance, as well as automated warhead detonation upon approaching the target. Naturally, this will involve advanced programming of unmanned aerial systems (UAS), and eventually elements of artificial intelligence (AI),” believes Volodymyr Horbulin.

Experts also forecast the development of hybrid air defense drones, essentially missile-drones, for shooting down helicopters and large reusable operational-tactical and operational-strategic UAVs. These UAS will use jet engines for this purpose.