Ukraine to Share Advanced Jet‑Drone Interceptor Tech with Allies as Production Scales Up for Winter

Ukraine is already employing its newly developed interceptor technology in combat and is accelerating production scaling ahead of the harshest winter period, according to Kyrylo Budanov, head of the President’s Office.

In an exclusive interview with Euronews, Budanov stated that the technology is successfully intercepting Russian jet‑powered drones in most instances, though scaling up production to sufficient levels remains the primary obstacle.

The system could also be made available to nations that have already entered into drone cooperation agreements with Ukraine, commonly referred to as “Drone Deals.”

Ukraine has concluded such accords with an expanding circle of partners, encompassing EU members Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, the Netherlands, and Denmark. The pacts establish a framework for joint production, technology transfer, and sharing of military expertise.

These agreements were forged as Ukraine rapidly grew its domestic drone industry and increased its reliance on cost‑effective interceptor drones to counter Russia’s standard Shahed‑type attack drones.

Russia, however, has been adapting as well.

Moscow has increasingly fielded jet‑powered attack drones that can reach speeds up to 500 km/h—significantly faster than the earlier generation of Ukrainian interceptor drones, which were capable of around 300 km/h.

This speed advantage rendered the previous interceptors unable to reliably engage the new Russian drones, compelling Ukrainian forces in some instances to resort to more costly and limited air‑defence missiles.

Ukraine has since accelerated development of faster interceptors specifically engineered to neutralize the emerging threat.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has indicated that Ukraine has achieved high effectiveness in intercepting conventional Shahed‑type drones, with success rates of roughly 90 % or higher during certain attacks.

The newer jet‑powered variants, however, remain substantially more difficult, with Zelenskyy reporting an interception rate of 57 % earlier this week.

This newer generation of Ukrainian interceptor technology could now be integrated into the country’s existing partnership framework.

“The focus is not on any single product; it is fundamentally about cross‑border cooperation on comparable systems,” Budanov told Euronews.

When asked whether Ukraine’s latest technologies, including interceptors designed for jet‑powered drones, could be incorporated into its agreements with European nations, Budanov responded:

“Any nation that has entered into such agreements with us has the right, so to speak, to pursue further negotiations on specific products.”

Budanov expressed confidence that Ukraine can attain the required production levels before the most challenging period of the upcoming winter.

The urgency of this race is already evident on the front lines.

Euronews obtained exclusive access to an air‑defence position safeguarding the Kyiv region, where soldiers recounted how Russia’s accelerated drones are sharply cutting the window for detection and engagement.

When a jet‑powered drone approaches Kyiv, crews sometimes have only 10–15 seconds to respond, they explained.

The relentless pace of attacks is exacting a heavy toll. Some soldiers reported to Euronews that they have been sleeping as little as an hour and a half per day recently, as continuous waves of Russian drones keep air‑defence units on high alert.

Pavlo Tsugunov, an anti‑aircraft battery commander, noted that the speed and altitude of the latest Russian drones have made them considerably more challenging for existing systems to engage.

“They are flying higher and faster,” Tsugunov told Euronews. “And for the most part, the systems we have cannot engage these targets.”

Jet‑powered drones are adding another layer of pressure to Ukraine’s already stretched air defences, which are concurrently confronting shortages of interceptors capable of neutralizing Russian ballistic missiles.

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