Fedorov on interceptor drones: record kills in March, countering jet-powered Shaheds, and terminal guidance systems

Ukraine’s Minister of Defence Mykhailo Fedorov discussed the key challenges of “small air defence” with interceptor drone manufacturers, he said on Telegram. According to Fedorov, interceptor drones set a new record in March, downing over 33,000 enemy UAVs.

The main challenge for manufacturers, he noted, is jet-powered Shahed drones. “The enemy is scaling their use, speed is increasing, and interception is becoming more difficult. Our task is to find a technological solution,” Fedorov wrote. Together with manufacturers, the ministry reviewed existing products, assessed their readiness, identified bottlenecks, and aligned efforts to enable rapid scaling.

Fedorov also recalled that Brave1 has supported 12 technologies under the EU-backed EU4UA Defence Tech grant programme. Companies will receive up to €150,000 to develop high-speed interceptors (450+ km/h) and advanced air defence solutions.

The minister said the meeting also covered 2026 procurement planning, pilot training, testing ranges, shortages of ground control stations, exports, and updated performance metrics within the Army of Drones Bonus programme. The ministry is preparing solutions for each of these issues, he added.

Fedorov noted that around 100 interceptor drone manufacturers are currently part of the Brave1 cluster. On the Brave1 Dataroom platform, more than 30 companies are testing, validating, and training over 50 AI models to detect and intercept aerial targets across different times of day and weather conditions.

During the meeting, the minister set two key tasks for manufacturers: to develop and scale jet-powered interceptor drones capable of countering jet-powered Shaheds, and to create alternative terminal guidance systems that can operate in challenging weather conditions.

He added that the state is ready to rapidly procure effective solutions from manufacturers under transparent market conditions.