Ukrainian engineers are working on the creation of new attack drones designed to destroy the Shaheds. These drones operate by analogy with anti-aircraft missiles — they detonate near enemy targets, hitting them with debris. About this informs Bloomberg.
Oleksandr Kamyshin, adviser to the minister on strategic industries, said that three Ukrainian companies are already engaged in the production of such drones. The cost of one device is currently about 5 thousand dollars, but in the future it can be reduced to 300 dollars per unit.
Developments include fixed-wing drones that perform direct engagements with targets, as well as other models capable of striking aerial objects. In particular, Skyfall has upgraded its FPV model to intercept enemy drones. Such devices are already in use at the front.
A similar concept is also being studied by European experts. In June, the Latvian company Origin Robotics plans to send to Ukraine test samples of drones that explode near the target, causing debris damage.
“As soon as the warhead gets close enough to the target, it detonates and the target is hit by shrapnel”, Origin CEO Agris Kipurs explained at a drone development conference in Riga.
According to him, such drones are specially designed to deal with large barrage ammunition. At the same time, experts emphasize: despite the economic expediency of such solutions for Ukraine, these drones cannot completely replace classic air defense systems. They have limitations in their application and are not capable of effectively countering Russian missiles, which are faster and more powerful than Shahedi.
