It may take Ukraine three to six months to fully deploy systems to intercept russian jet-powered drones, which have been attacking Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities on a daily basis in recent months. It is reported in an article by The Associated Press (AP).
Ukraine has developed an effective system for intercepting so-called Shaheds, which are equipped with propeller engines. Using electronic warfare and artificial intelligence, the Ukrainian military has forced russian UAVs into narrow corridors in the sky, giving interceptor drones a better chance of shooting them down.
However, this tactic is no longer as effective against jet-powered Shaheds. The main problem is speed. The fastest Ukrainian interceptors reach speeds of 300 to 400 kilometers per hour, which is insufficient to intercept UAVs equipped with jet engines.
A lifeline for air defense crews is the appearance of a blue dot on the radar screen, which indicates an F-16 fighter jet. These aircraft are capable of engaging jet-powered Shaheds, but they require significant maintenance. Many aircraft are currently out of service and awaiting repairs.
While air defense crews struggle to combat the Shaheds, Ukrainian engineers are waging their own “war,” rushing to establish mass production of interceptors.
Oleksii Babenko, CEO of Vyriy Drones, told the AP that Ukraine had been warned about the emergence of faster strike drones in the aggressor country, russia. However, manufacturers did not have a ready solution when the russians began using jet-powered Shaheds on a massive scale.
According to him, Ukrainian companies are currently working on new interceptor models, power units, and autonomous guidance systems. The biggest challenge is scale. Procuring components, conducting tests, and training operators all take time.
Miniature turbojet engines are a major bottleneck in this effort. Most supplies come from European manufacturers, whose production capacity falls significantly short of Ukraine’s needs.
Babenko believes that ramping up production of jet-powered Shahed interceptors could take three to four months. Taras Chmut, head of the “Come Back Alive” Foundation, offers a more cautious estimate: six months or more.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, on September 20, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy showed the first footage of a new drone interceptor that successfully shot down a russian Shahed drone.
As a reminder, on August 21, the Ministry of Defense announced that Ukraine’s first jet-powered UAV interceptor had been added to the arsenal of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
© 2026 Ukrainian News Agency
Produce it yourself. Not wait a few years for NATO and get 10 engines max per day.