Ukraine tests new high-speed interceptors against Russian jet-powered drones
Ukraine's Wild Hornets reported that its Sting S interceptor downed a Russian Geran-5 drone, part of a broader effort to counter an increase in fast jet-powered attacks.
Ukraine is expanding its air-defence capabilities with a new generation of high-speed interceptors designed to engage Russia's rapidly deployed jet-powered drones. The company Wild Hornets said a tactical unit used its Sting S interceptor to shoot down a Russian Geran-5 drone, adding that several similar drones and about a dozen slower Geran-4 models have been destroyed in recent days.
"It was one of several Geran-5 drones shot down over the last few days, along with roughly a dozen slower Geran-4 jet-powered models," a Wild Hornets spokesperson told Business Insider.
The successful engagement marks the first combat test of the Sting S, an upgraded version of the firm’s bullet-shaped Sting drone. The company plans to start mass production after the trial period ends. Most of the drones were intercepted remotely using Wild Hornets' "Hornet Vision Ctrl" system, which allows operators to control the aircraft from a secure location hundreds of miles away.
Ukraine is also fielding other interceptor designs. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently released footage of a delta-wing interceptor, reportedly developed by an unnamed manufacturer and deployed by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The SBU said this platform shot down a Geran-5, a jet-powered drone capable of speeds near 375 mph and carrying a 200-pound warhead.
Russian forces have shifted from piston-engine Shahed-136-derived Geran-2 drones to three turbojet-powered variants that cruise above 200 mph. Ukrainian intelligence warned in May that Moscow intended to increase the use of these faster drones, a trend reflected in the air force's data showing 2,800 jet-powered drone launches in August, up from 350 in June. Interception rates have fallen from roughly 90 % for propeller-driven models to about 60 % for jet models, prompting Kyiv to prioritize faster interceptors.
The performance specifications and cost of the new interceptors remain undisclosed, though earlier interceptor generations have cost several thousand dollars, a fraction of the value of the drones they target.