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FPV drone repurposed to hunt Russian recon drones worked so well that Ukraine turned it into new purpose-built interceptor

12 août 2026 à 12:16

A TAF Kolibri-i10 interceptor. Source: TAF Industries

Ukraine has approved a new domestic interceptor and put it on the shelf for units to buy. Ukraine's Defense Ministry has codified the high-speed TAF Kolibri-i10 interceptor from TAF Industries, the company announced.

The approval adds one more weapon to Ukraine's fast-scaling interceptor arsenal and its state procurement pipeline. Ukraine now fields drone-hunters from dozens of makers to counter Russia's massed drone attacks. Units can order it directly through the state marketplace, the same DOT-Chain and Brave1 Market system that has turned battlefield-proven drones into off-the-shelf purchases.

The interceptor grew out of combat use

The Kolibri-i10 came from an improvised solution that worked. The idea grew from using the FPV drone Kolibri 10 to intercept Russian fixed-wing drones, and combat experience showed the approach was so effective that TAF built a new, specialized interceptor rather than modifying the existing model.

Its job is hunting Russian reconnaissance and strike drones. The Kolibri-i10 is designed to destroy Molniya, Orlan, and Zala drones, preventing attacks on Ukrainian positions and covering operations and rear-area sites.

"Field tests have already confirmed the effectiveness of this interceptor, so we have already begun scaling it," CEO Volodymyr Zinovskyi said.

The specs and the jam-resistance

The interceptor was rebuilt for speed and durability. It has a stronger frame, more powerful motors, faster propellers, and improved aerodynamics, reaching over 200 kilometers per hour, a range of up to 25 kilometers, more than 20 minutes aloft, and an altitude of up to 3,000 meters.

It is built to work under jamming. Manual control gives the operator full command at critical moments; digital day-and-night cameras enable operation in varied conditions. MilELRS firmware ensures stable operation in the presence of active electronic warfare. That jam-resistance is a recurring requirement for Ukrainian interceptors, since signal-dependent ones fail against the electronic warfare saturating the front.

The drone is available to order on Brave1 Market, priced at about $760 with a day camera and $1,550 with a night camera.

Ukraine’s newest interceptor doesn’t ram its target. It nets it for $27, then flies home to catch another

11 août 2026 à 11:19

he Ukrainian company WINFLY unveiled the WINFLY Spider, an interceptor equipped with a net-launcher. Source: Militarnyi

Ukraine has built an interceptor that catches Russian drones instead of ramming them. The company WINFLY has unveiled the WINFLY Spider, an interceptor equipped with a net-launcher to neutralize targets with a net and return to its launch point, the defense outlet Militarnyi reported.

The Spider is the newest entry in Ukraine's fast-growing interceptor-drone industry. Ukraine has fielded a widening range of cheap interceptors to counter Russia's massed drone attacks, and the Spider's distinction is reusability.

The netgun makes it reusable

Most interceptors are one-shot weapons that ram or explode against their target. The Spider instead carries the Karakurt net-launcher, made of high-strength aluminum and rated to work from −20°C to +50°C, which snares an enemy drone in a net while the interceptor itself stays intact and ready for repeat flights.

The economics are the point. The developers say each net shot about $27, while the drone remains undamaged. That turns the cost equation of drone defense, where an interceptor is often spent to down a single target, into one where the same aircraft can make many intercepts, paying only for a cheap net each time.

The platform and what it hunts

The Spider is built on an existing WINFLY interceptor. It uses the WINFLY 10 Hunter as its base platform, which operates at up to 5,000 meters, reaches 160 kilometers per hour, and has a range of over 18 kilometers.

It is designed for a range of Russian drones. The system targets fixed-wing UAVs, Mavic quadcopters, FPV drones, and fiber-optic drones, with flight times up to 25 minutes, deployment times of up to 3 minutes, and target detection ranges of up to 500 meters. The maker offers day and night versions.

One tool in a scaling defense

Ukraine is downing tens of thousands of Russian drones a month, per the Defense Ministry, and fielding interceptors from at least 29 licensed makers, with new designs like the high-altitude Tsyklop climbing above enemy drones and others ramming them.

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