An interceptor drone shot down a Russian Shahed drone over Odesa, Ukrainian officials reported on July 11.
The moment was captured on video by local residents during an overnight attack on the city.
Ukrainian forces initially attempted to shoot down the drone with machine guns, but failed due to the munition’s speed and low visibility.
The interceptor drone then struck the Shahed mid-air, crashing into its central section and breaking it apart.
Interceptor drones, which can reach high speeds within seconds, are being deployed to strengthen the air defense of Ukrainian cities.
These systems are equipped with high-explosive fragmentation warheads optimized for destroying UAVs.
Even without a direct hit, the blast radius is designed to disable drones flying nearby.
Several Ukrainian companies are developing interceptor drones. The Wild Hornets group recently produced a large batch of these systems to counter Russian-Iranian Shahed drones.
In 2024, Ukraine also unveiled its Sting interceptor drone for similar purposes.
Officials say the deployment of interceptors could help reduce civilian casualties and infrastructure damage during Russian kamikaze drone attacks.
