How drones are becoming key pillar of Ukraine’s air, missile defense

Contents:

1. How interceptor drones first emerged
2. The evolution and refinement of interceptor drones
3. What’s next for modern drone-based interceptors
4. On the horizon: Auto-lock, autopilot, smart detonation, and AI integration

Modern drones aren’t just playing a leading role in today’s warfare — often pushing tanks, light armored vehicles, helicopters, ships, and even artillery into supporting roles — they’re also taking over some of the functions traditionally assigned to other weapons systems.

One of the most significant developments is the growing use of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) in air and missile defense. These drones are increasingly being deployed to intercept airborne threats, primarily Russian drones, and are steadily expanding their responsibilities in this domain. In some cases, drone interceptors have even managed to take down helicopters and Russian fighter jets midair — though in the latter case, it involved naval drones outfitted as missile platforms.

How interceptor drones first emerged

As is often the case in warfare, innovation in rearmament was driven by an acute shortage of available weaponry and the rapid escalation of threats.

Starting in March 2024, Russia significantly improved its use of reconnaissance drones, deploying them deep into Ukrainian territory to identify high-value targets and guide ballistic missile strikes. These drones began penetrating 50 to 100 kilometers beyond the front line, transmitting targeting data in real time. This allowed the Russian military to inflict serious damage on Ukrainian forces and infrastructure far from the battlefield.

For example, in early 2024, Russia succeeded in destroying a HIMARS rocket system for the first time, damaging Patriot air defense launchers (with three Iskander ballistic missiles guided by a SuperCam reconnaissance drone), and hitting two Mi-8 helicopters during a brief landing. They also struck two Bureviy MLRS systems while they were refueling in Kharkiv. Analysts pointed to a well-coordinated Russian tactic: the pairing of a reconnaissance drone with a long-range strike capability.

One particularly notable strike hit the Aviatorske airfield near Dnipro, nearly 100 kilometers from the front line. Russia claimed it destroyed several Ukrainian MiG-29s, storage depots, and an S-300 air defense system. These developments raised legitimate concerns among military analysts that such tactics could shift Russia’s advantage from the tactical to the strategic level.

This created an urgent need for an active interception system capable of countering Russian reconnaissance drones. Typical Russian military drones, like the Orlan, Zala, or SuperCam, have a very small radar cross-section, making them difficult targets for traditional air defenses.

Moreover, these drones usually operate at altitudes of 4 to 6 kilometers, well beyond the range of man-portable air defense systems (MANPADS), making it extremely difficult to lock on and destroy them. Using medium-range systems like the Soviet-era Buk or the NASAMS for such small targets would be prohibitively expensive.

Electronic warfare tools weren’t a viable option either, both because of the risk of interfering with Ukraine’s own drones and the high altitudes at which Russian drones operate. That left one solution: interceptor drones. And that’s exactly what began to take shape.

The first attempts became known back in early 2024: In February 2024, fighters from the unmanned strike systems unit “Ajax” of the 126th Separate Territorial Defense Brigade destroyed a Russian fixed-wing attack drone using an FPV drone for the first time. According to some reports, by the end of March 2025, video footage had already been released showing the interception of more than 2,500 Russian reconnaissance and strike drones.

The evolution and refinement of interceptor drones

In summer 2024, Ukrainian innovators proposed systematic solutions to the problem of intercepting Russian UAVs. It’s important to highlight the coordinating and leadership role of the Brave1 platform, which began functioning as a tech development hub in the UAV sector, as well as the persistence and creativity of Ukrainian engineers.

By November 2024, Ukrainian FPV drones were successfully intercepting Russian reconnaissance drones. For example, the project “Sky Rusoriz” alone eliminated over 400 Russian surveillance drones, including 211 Zala UAVs, 137 Supercams, 46 Orlan-family UAVs, and 7 Lancet loitering munitions. The project started around August 2024 and once again demonstrated the wave-like nature of tech development: a new strike capability emerges, the Russian upgrades its defenses, and new countermeasures follow. The future of combat, and war in general, depends on how fast new attack and counterattack decisions are made and how quickly the results can be expanded.

Interceptor drones began being produced in various formats — from FPV quadcopters to fixed-wing drones capable of chasing high-speed targets. By the end of 2024, a clear trend emerged: interceptor drones were developing as kamikaze quadcopters, fixed-wing UAV interceptors, and loitering munition counter-drones (like those targeting Shahed drones).

Then came the breakthroughs. Truly revolutionary events occurred in summer 2024. On July 31, a two-kilogram Ukrainian drone brought down a 12-ton Russian helicopter. In August, a Ukrainian anti-aircraft drone shot down a Mi-28 attack helicopter during an aerial battle. These events signaled that significant rearmament decisions were on the horizon. Successfully targeting multimillion-dollar, heavily armed helicopters would inevitably influence the military priorities of the world’s strongest nations.

By May 2025, the first publicly released video showed a drone interception of a Russian-Iranian Shahed-type loitering munition. Ukrainian defense forces reportedly used the Sting interceptor drone. The footage showed the interceptor chasing down a Shahed above the clouds at an altitude of about 3 km, with the drone flying over 160 km/h. That same month, the Darknode unit of the 412th Nemesis Regiment destroyed around 100 Russian Shahed and Gerbera kamikaze drones using interceptors.

What’s next for modern drone-based interceptors

Over time, interceptor drones became widespread and effectively part of Ukraine’s air defense network. The demand for them is growing exponentially. By 2025, the skies not only above the battlefield but also 20–30 kilometers in both directions from the front line were filled with drones. Due to their relatively low cost, ease of use, and manufacturability even at non-specialized facilities, interceptors are becoming more accessible — an organic response to growing threats.

Statistics confirm Ukraine’s expanding use of drone interceptors. From November 2024 to March 2025, the number of successful Russian drone interceptions quadrupled. As of March 22, 2025, there were 2,517 recorded unique interceptions, with 2,018 of them geolocated.

These airborne guardians are constantly being upgraded. By 2025, interceptors were targeting drones at previously unreachable distances. For instance, in early June, a Ukrainian anti-aircraft FPV drone intercepted a Russian Orlan-10 reconnaissance drone 33 km behind Russian lines in Russia’s Kursk region. This interception was performed by the new fixed-wing FPV drone Chaklun.

The affordability of these drones continues to be key: in 2025, Ukraine’s defense forces began using a fixed-wing interceptor drone called Techno Taras, with a ceiling of 6,000 meters, a range of 35 km, and a price tag of just $1,600 — earning it the nickname “air defense on a budget.”

Another key evolutionary step has been in the weaponization methods. For example, interceptors are now equipped with fragmentation warheads that detonate on command, significantly improving kill probability.

One example is the codification of the Chief-1 drone in June 2025 — designed to target both Russian drones and infantry. This quadcopter-style drone features a dual-barrel module loaded with shot cartridges. It also includes automatic target recognition and optimal strike distance technology.

Improved batteries have allowed for longer range and higher-altitude interceptions. 

The use of anti-aircraft drones to fight enemy drones has become so effective that some Ukrainian brigades now have their own UAV interceptor batteries. Russia is trying to fight back with technology. For example, in March 2025, Russia started adding machine vision-based systems to their Zala reconnaissance drones to help them avoid anti-aircraft drones.

Key future goals include increasing the range to enemy targets and improving how well UAVs perform interceptions.

One important improvement is the development of interceptor carriers. These carriers boost the power of anti-aircraft drones. For example, Justifier Drones started launching FPV interceptors from a carrier drone to increase range and flight height. Since the carrier is already flying, interceptors can reach targets faster and respond more quickly.

On the horizon: auto-capture, auto-guidance, AI

The concept of using drones to intercept aerial targets has become so influential that funding for new interceptor UAVs — like the VB140 “Flamingo” — was included in a new German military aid package to Ukraine. The Flamingo can intercept Russian drones up to 30 km away and represents a hybrid system — highlighting the global recognition of this technological shift.

Further confirmation came in June 2025, when German company Diehl Defence (known in Ukraine for the IRIS-T air defense system) unveiled its new air defense drone Cicada at a defense expo in Nuremberg.

While IRIS-T systems have a 40 km range, they suffer from a so-called “dead zone” within one kilometer. The Cicada drone is meant to cover that short-range gap. This may signal a new approach to protecting high-value military assets — through a layered network of drone “guardians.”

Looking ahead, the next logical steps will include widespread automation: target auto-acquisition, auto-guidance, and automated warhead detonation as the drone nears its target. This will require more advanced programming and eventually lead to the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) elements.

It can also be anticipated that hybrid anti-aircraft drones will almost certainly be developed — essentially drone-based surface-to-air missiles — designed to shoot down helicopters and large reusable unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of operational-tactical and operational-strategic levels, meaning extremely expensive weaponry. To achieve this, interceptor drones will be equipped with jet engines.

A clearer vision for the future development of Ukrainian drone interceptors emerged after Robert “Madyar” Brovdi was appointed commander of the Unmanned Systems Forces. In particular, this includes the phased expansion of the USF's operational reach, which implies a projected increase in range and depth of deployment.

Thus, we can see the horizon of drone aviation complex development. And beyond that horizon, one can hope, there will be no limits for Ukrainian drones in eliminating Russia.

This material was prepared in cooperation with the Consortium for Defense Information (CDI), a project uniting Ukrainian analytical and research organizations aimed at strengthening information support and analytical capabilities in the field of national security, defense, and geopolitics.