Ukraine has long been developing an unmanned aircraft capable of intercepting Russian kamikaze drones of the Iranian Shahed-131/136 type. The British newspaper The Telegraph reveals details of the new Ukrainian interceptor drone, quoted by Focus.
According to the information, it will be an FPV drone called Sting. It should be a cheaper replacement for anti-aircraft missiles that are sometimes used to intercept Shahed-131/136 type UAVs.
The publication also published a photo of the new drone developed by the Ukrainian group "Wild Hornets". It is said to be capable of flying at a speed of over 160 kilometers per hour and rising to a height of about three kilometers.
"The Sting is a classic quadcopter design with a large dome protruding from its center where the warhead and camera are mounted. It will be piloted from the ground using VR goggles that allow the operator to see exactly where it is flying. The future design envisages an AI targeting system that will allow the pilot to target enemy targets”, writes The Telegraph.
ASU successfully decommissions Russian surveillance UAVs ZALA and "Orlan-10“ with small FPV drones for some time, but the Sting will be the first specifically designed to combat the Shahed-136. The Russians launch 30 to 80 of these kamikaze drones every day, which has become a significant problem for Ukrainian air defense.
According to a representative of "Wild Hornets", the average price of a Sting interceptor drone is "tens of times lower” from that of Shahed. This will save the VSU anti-aircraft missiles in short supply, the editors explain.