Ukrainian Bars jet UAVs now used to intercept Geran drones, with 30% success rate

Ukraine has begun using the Bars jet-powered strike drones as interceptors against Russian Geran drones. President Volodymyr Zelensky said this while speaking to journalists in Kyiv following a meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

According to Zelensky, the Ukrainian-made Bars drones have already shown initial results, with an interception rate of around 30%. The president said this is currently the highest rate among interceptor drones targeting the enemy’s jet-powered UAVs.

“Bars has shown positive results. These are long-range drones that are almost like missiles. They are currently achieving around a 30% interception rate,” Zelensky said. He added that other developments are also gradually improving their effectiveness.

Bars was developed as a long-range strike drone powered by a jet engine. Its basic version has a stated range of up to 700 km and a 22.5 kg warhead. A modified version has a range of up to 1,000 km, a warhead weighing up to 60 kg and a speed of more than 700 km/h.

According to a developer representative, Bars has undergone more than 40 upgrades and iterations. Its modular design allows the balance between fuel capacity and warhead weight to be adjusted for different missions.

The developer has also reported that the long-range version can be controlled in real time over enemy territory. During the final stage of the flight, the operator can control the drone manually or hand over control to an optical guidance system.