Ukrainian drone tech firm Ptashka Systems has presented a new way to counter Russian roadside ambush drones by using interceptor drones that drop nets on them. The system is designed to neutralize so-called “waiting drones” — FPVs that land near logistics routes, switch off their motors, and lie in ambush until a vehicle appears.

This Ptashka Systems’ solution avoids the loss of both Ukrainian drones and ammunition — Ukrainian drone pilots often destroy such roadside ambushes by striking them with their own FPV drones. Ukrainian forces already use nets in limited cases to intercept airborne drones.

Dropped nets disable ambush FPVs

Ptashka Systems published a video showing how its drones can release special cartridges carrying nets directly onto hidden Russian FPVs, waiting on the ground.

Once covered, the ambush drones cannot take off, as the nets block their propellers and render them uncontrollable, Militarnyi noted, adding that the advantage of this approach is that the enemy drone remains stuck in its ambush, forcing its operator to waste time waiting for a target that never comes.

“When the target appears, the net complicates or makes it impossible for the “waiting drone” to take off — it physically cannot rise because its propellers are blocked. This neutralization mechanism makes the drone uncontrollable and disables it,” Militarnyi says.

The developers invited Ukrainian Mavic drone pilots to take part in the effort and announced that Ptashka Systems is ready to provide free cartridges with nets to those operators.

Ukraine is preparing to ramp up its aerial defense with a fleet of 1,000 drone interceptors deployed daily, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal announced on 18 September during a press conference in Kyiv with Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz.

Kyiv aims to surpass Russia’s nightly drone attacks

Suspilne reported that Shmyhal said Ukraine’s goal is to exceed the current scale of Russian drone usage, which he sometimes reaches around 800 drones per night. To do so, he confirmed Ukraine is working toward the capability to operate no fewer than 1,000 drone interceptors per day.

“This level will be reached. I cannot say what the current level is, but this level will be implemented in the near future,” Shmyhal claimed at the briefing.

The Prime Minister emphasized that this goal is not distant and that work is progressing according to schedule.

The challenge isn’t drones — it’s deployment systems

Shmyhal clarified that drone production is not the limiting factor in reaching the 1,000-interceptor mark. Instead, the main challenge lies in the availability and implementation of ground-based control systems, radar units, and components that utilize artificial intelligence for targeting and guidance.

“This is a large complex, and its implementation takes some time. But we are moving confidently and according to schedule toward this goal,” he added.

Ukraine confirmed on 14 September that its drone forces shot down a rare heavy Russian Orion UAV near the border in Kursk Oblast. The Orion is a cruise missile-capable heavy combat drone, rarely used by Moscow due to its limited availability and vulnerability to Ukrainian air defense, Militarnyi reports.

Ukrainian drone units intercept rare Orion UAV

According to the Commander of Ukraine’s Drone Systems Forces, Robert “Madyar” Brovdi, the 414th Separate Drone Systems Brigade successfully destroyed the Russian Orion drone using an interceptor UAV. This marked the first time the brigade brought down an Orion model, despite having previously intercepted nearly 1,500 enemy drones. These included various types such as Orlan, ZALA, SuperCam, Shahed, and Lancet, with larger targets like Merlin and Forpost among the most significant until now.

OSINT experts geolocated the interception site to the area around Tyotkino, in Kursk Oblast, Russia, just next to the Ukrainian border. The coordinates were confirmed as 51.2862, 34.3813. This location lies just across the border from Ukrainian territory.

A coordinated strike by multiple Ukrainian units

Before the final blow, the Orion UAV had already sustained damage from interceptor drones operated by Ukraine’s 95th Air Assault Brigade. The final strike was delivered by the Ptakhy Madyara team of the 414th brigade. 

The Russian military has rarely deployed Orion drones in combat due to both their limited numbers and high susceptibility to Ukraine’s layered air defense network, Militarnyi noted. 

Background on the Orion drone program

The Orion UAV was developed by the Kronstadt Group beginning in 2011. The first prototype was completed in 2015, with operational testing drones handed over in April 2020. Serial production began in August 2020.

According to Militarnyi, Orion can be armed with guided munitions including Kh-50 missiles, KAB-20 bombs, and other types such as UPAB-50, KAB-50, FAB-50, and the Kh-BPLA missile. It is also capable of launching the compact S8000 Banderol cruise missile.

The UK Government has announced it will begin mass-producing Ukrainian-designed interceptor drones under a new industrial partnership, marking a major shift in how Britain supports Ukraine’s defense against Russia.

UK to mass produce Ukrainian-designed drones under new tech-sharing deal

The UK Government’s press release says that the first product of the expanded defense partnership is Project OCTOPUS, an air defense interceptor drone developed in Ukraine with UK technical support. The drone has already been used successfully against Russian Shahed one-way attack drones and will now be built at scale in Britain. Officials say production will reach thousands of units per month.

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the move a “landmark moment,” adding that the partnership harnesses both countries’ defense industries.

“By helping Ukraine defend itself against Putin’s barbaric attacks, we are also creating British jobs, driving growth, and securing our own future,” he said.

UK Defense Secretary John Healey said the initiative would allow UK companies “unprecedented access” to next-generation designs.

“We will innovate at a wartime pace and support both UK and Ukrainian security,” he said.

Britain to manufacture at scale under new defense strategy

The UK-Ukraine agreement enables sharing of intellectual property and co-development of defense systems. It follows Starmer’s summer meeting with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Healey’s recent visit to Kyiv, where the partnership was expanded.

The UK sees this effort as part of its broader “Plan for Change,” which links national security with economic development through industrial growth and job creation.

Drone production surge and funding spike

The drone deal is part of a wider plan to massively expand drone support for Ukraine. In March, the UK Prime Minister announced a £1.6 billion ($2.16 billion) package to deliver over 5,000 air defense missiles, creating 200 jobs and supporting 700 more.

The UK will also invest £350 million ($470 million) this year to ramp up drone production for Ukraine, aiming to deliver 100,000 drones in 2025—up from 10,000 in 2024. Total UK military aid to Ukraine for 2025 will hit £4.5 billion ($6 billion), the highest annual sum to date.