UKRAINE COMPLETES TESTS OF 416 KM/H DRONE INTERCEPTOR
Ukrainian defense company Vluchnyk has completed internal testing of its new Zorelit v5 interceptor, developed to hunt Russia’s increasingly fast aerial threats—including jet-powered Geran drones.
According to the manufacturer, the interceptor can reach 416 km/h and travel up to 47 kilometers on one charge. At its cruising speed of approximately 200 km/h, it can remain airborne for around 17 minutes.
The Zorelit v5 can carry a 300–600-gram warhead and may be equipped with artificial intelligence capable of detecting, tracking and guiding the drone toward its target during the final stage of interception. It can also integrate with the SkyMap system for automated guidance into the target area.
Vluchnyk says the interceptor has completed testing and is ready for military use, although formal codification is still pending. The listed price is approximately 89,500 hryvnias—or around $2,000—making it a potentially affordable defensive layer against Russian drones that would otherwise require far more expensive missiles to destroy.
Russia’s drones continue to evolve in speed, range and propulsion. Ukrainian ingenuity is evolving alongside them—turning the drone from a weapon of terror into a weapon capable of hunting the threat itself.