Three Ukrainian companies are launching serial production of Octopus interceptor drones

The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine has announced the launch of serial production of the domestic Octopus interceptor drone. “The technology has already been transferred to the first three manufacturers, with another eleven preparing their production lines,” the ministry noted.

Octopus is an interceptor drone developed within Ukraine’s Security and Defence Forces. It is designed to shoot down Shaheds and other drones of this type. According to the MoD, Octopus is capable of operating at night, under jamming, and at low altitudes.

The commander of one of Ukraine’s leading units specialising in anti-aircraft drone deployment told Defender Media, on condition of anonymity, that Octopus is one of the most effective means of downing Shaheds; however, it is currently available to the military in minimal numbers. Scaling up Octopus production is very good news, he said.

The UK Defence Secretary Luke Pollard had earlier told Bloomberg that the UK also plans to manufacture Octopus drones domestically. He promised to establish production of roughly 2,000 such drones per month within a very short timeframe. All interceptor drones produced in the UK are planned to be supplied to Ukraine for countering Shaheds.

In addition, Ukraine has begun co-producing interceptor drones with the United States. Yesterday, President Zelensky announced that this is a joint Ukrainian–American production effort and expressed hope that volumes would increase in the future. However, he did not specify which particular interceptor the statement referred to.