UKRAINE, Aug. 14 — The first Ukrainian jet-powered interceptor drones designed to counter Russian jet-powered kamikaze drones are going through combat testing, said Mykhailo Fedorov, former Minister of Defense of Ukraine. He added that those interceptors can accelerate up to 600 km/hour (~373 mph). 

According to Fedorov, the Russians are increasingly replacing regular Shahed drones with jet-powered ones for their attacks on Ukraine. Regular interceptor drones can’t catch up with their 350-450 km/hour (~218/280 mph) speed, so Kyiv pivoted to creating faster interceptors. 

Last year, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense began developing the field of interceptor drones, conducting combat tests, and increasing public procurement for such drones, said Fedorov.

He added that Ukraine now has one of the most advanced “small-scale” air defense systems in the world, and other armies are studying its capabilities.

On Aug. 3, Russian forces launched two jet-powered Shaheds at a storage building of the Ranok publishing house in Kharkiv, destroying millions of books.

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