Intensified Drone Operations: Ukraine to Boost Interceptor Launches to 1,000 Daily, According to Defence Minister
Ukrainian Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the country's plans to deploy at least 1,000 interceptor drones per day, in response to the increasing number of Russian drone attacks. The announcement was made at a press conference held in Kyiv on 18 September, with his Polish counterpart Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz in attendance.
During the night of 17-18 September, Russian occupation forces launched an attack using 75 strike UAVs, according to reports. The types of drones used in the attack included Shahed, Gerbera, and others. As a result of this attack, strikes were recorded in 6 locations.
Ukraine was able to down 48 of the 75 drones used in the attack, demonstrating the effectiveness of the interceptor drones. These drones are developed by European manufacturers, including the Estonian company Frankenburg Technologies and the Polish company Advanced Protection Systems (APS), which collaborate on next-generation kinetic counter-UAS systems.
However, the press conference did not discuss the cost or funding of these interceptor drones, nor did it provide information on the source of these drones. Shmyhal stated that the challenge lies in having ground control systems, radars, and other elements that use artificial intelligence for targeting. He also mentioned that the implementation of the large system for the interceptor drones takes some time.
Shmyhal expressed confidence that Ukraine is moving towards the goal of deploying 1,000 interceptor drones per day according to schedule. He stated that Russia is currently demonstrating the use of 800 drones per night, and that Ukraine needs at least 1,000 interceptor drones per day to counter this level of attacks. The current level of interceptor drone deployment in Ukraine, if any, was not specified by Shmyhal.
The announcement was reported by Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne. The night of the attack, Putin suddenly declared that Russians' main task is to ensure preservation of Russia, but the press conference did not discuss this statement.
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