For the first time, Ukrainians shot down a Shahed using an interceptor launched from a surface drone

A division within the 412th Nemesis Brigade has, for the first time, downed an enemy Shahed drone using an interceptor UAV launched from an unmanned surface platform.

The Unmanned Systems Forces added that this represents a new level of maritime and aerial drone integration, forming an additional layer of defence for Ukrainian cities. The statement, however, contains no details about the drones used.

In March, The Economist journalist Oliver Carroll published footage showing a drone launching from a Magura platform – a maritime drone developed by UForce. Pilots control the interceptors remotely via Starlink. According to Carroll, this integration was first employed near Odesa.

It is also known that the Nemesis brigade closely cooperates with UForce.

USF commander Robert “Magyar” Brovdi confirmed that the force is “going to sea with unmanned surface vessels carrying interceptor drones.” The first enemy UAVs to be downed this way were intercepted by the aforementioned unmanned surface systems division within the 412th Nemesis Brigade. A similar division is being deployed within the USF’s 414th Brigade.

Overall, between 1 and 19 April, USF ground interceptor crews destroyed 4,465 aerial targets, including 671 Shahed and Herbera drones.