Mykhailo Fedorov on low-cost anti-aircraft missiles, interceptor effectiveness, after-action reviews, and private air defence

Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence is focusing on developing low-cost missiles to intercept Shahed-type drones. Defence Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced this during a meeting with journalists on 16 May.

“We have already identified solutions that are close to readiness and started testing them,” the minister said.

According to him, the ministry’s goal is to scale production of such missiles by dozens of times in order to build up sufficient stockpiles for the autumn-winter period. Fedorov added that scaling and reducing the cost of interceptor missiles will also help Ukraine prepare for the emergence of jet-powered Shaheds.

In Fedorov’s view, low-cost air defence missiles will provide additional protection for critical infrastructure alongside interceptor drones. “To achieve this, we are issuing grants, scaling production, and relaunching team recruitment,” he said.

The minister also outlined several other developments in Ukraine’s air defence system, with Defender Media highlighting the most notable points.

Interceptor drones

According to Fedorov, deliveries of interceptor drones have increased 2.6 times over the past four months. During the same period, the success rate of intercepting Shaheds with drone interceptors has doubled, despite Russia increasing monthly Shahed launches by 35%.

“Our strategic goal is to achieve a stable 95% interception rate for aerial targets,” the minister said.

Fedorov believes that the introduction of after-action reviews has played a key role in improving interceptor effectiveness. The procedure, widely used by NATO, involves a detailed analysis of combat operations after their completion.

Following each large-scale attack, the Ministry of Defence team, together with the Air Force and military personnel, conducts a detailed review.

“We analyse the route of every missile and drone, flight trajectories, interception points, technical details, the reasons why certain targets were not destroyed, and what needs to be changed in the work of mobile fire groups, EW units, or interceptor drones,” Fedorov explained.

Development of private air defence

A total of 27 companies of various ownership structures have already joined Ukraine’s experimental private air defence initiative. The project has no geographical restrictions: private air defence groups are already operating in the Kharkiv, Odesa, Kyiv, Zaporizhzhia, Poltava, Zakarpattia, and other regions.

The Ministry of Defence has granted these companies the status of authorised entities for carrying out air defence tasks. They subsequently coordinated with the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and began organising their own air defence groups.

These companies are currently at different stages of readiness for combat missions. This includes training personnel, procuring equipment such as interceptor UAVs, EW systems, radars, and automated turrets, as well as receiving weapons from Armed Forces stockpiles, including machine guns and explosives.

According to Fedorov, the number of companies applying to join the experimental project continues to grow every week.

“We see strong interest from businesses in this project, which provides an additional opportunity to protect personnel and production facilities,” he said.

The minister added that air defence groups from two companies have already begun carrying out full combat missions in close coordination with the Air Force command. These groups, operating in the Kharkiv and Odesa regions, have already destroyed around 20 enemy Shahed drones and reconnaissance UAVs. Ukrainian forces have also confirmed the interception of a jet-powered Shahed. Several more private air defence groups are expected to begin combat duty in the near future, Fedorov noted.