Ukraine could soon deploy 1,000 interceptor drones per day, defense minister says
Ukraine will soon be able to deploy at least 1,000 interceptor drones per day to repel Russian attacks, Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal said on Sept. 18.
"This level will be achieved. I can't say what the current level is today, but in the near future this level will be realized," Shmyhal said at a press conference with Polish Defense Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz.
The technology is critical for Ukraine's air defense, as Russia's aerial attacks have escalated significantly over the past few months. In July, Russia launched a record 6,129 Shahed-type drones against Ukraine. Mass attacks continued into the fall, with a record 810 drones launched overnight on Sept. 7.
The goal is to intercept every Russian drone over Ukrainian territory, the minister said.
According to Shmyhal, producing that number of drones is not a problem for Ukraine. The challenge lies in the number of ground control systems, radars, and related components, some of which utilize artificial intelligence for precision targeting.
"There is an entire interception ecosystem, and it consists not only of interceptor drones — they are just the tip of the iceberg in this large, coordinated system that needs to function effectively," Shmyhal added.
Ukraine has rapidly developed its drone capabilities since 2022, evolving from modifying commercial aircraft to producing attack drones and reconnaissance systems at scale.
Meanwhile, Russia planned to produce 2 million first-person-view (FPV) drones and 30,000 long-range and decoy drones in 2025 for its war against Ukraine, Ukraine's Foreign Intelligence Service (SZRU) said in June.
