Counter-drone with drones: how Ukraine intercepts Geran-2 and reconnaissance drones in the air

The structure of air defence is shifting – and with it counter-drone defence. The trigger is a development that began in the late 1980s with the IAI Harpy drone. In Iran, the concept was taken further and developed into the Shahed series; today Russia fires it at Ukraine as the Geran-2, hundreds at a time, day after day.

According to current estimates, Russia can produce up to 170 units of the Geran-2 long-range strike vehicle per day. It is a flying bomb with a piston engine that, depending on its configuration, flies a good 1,500 kilometres or further. On the Ukrainian side, it is expected that Russia could soon produce 500 units per day.

The technology is becoming ever more sophisticated: evidence suggests that Russia can now reprogramme the drones' flight path in flight via the Ukrainian mobile phone network. However, the numbers in which the drones are deployed have also led to changed tactics.

To avoid radar detection, the drones used to fly very low. Ukraine responded with acoustic systems for early warning, target acquisition and detection. It also set up mobile air defence groups that move through threatened areas and engage the drones with guns.

“We can see them all. Radars can detect them. But it has become impossible to shoot them down with machine guns.”
Yuriy Chumak, Ukrainian air defence soldier

According to President Volodymyr Zelensky, the mobile groups can shoot down around a third of the Geran-2 drones. To set up more such groups, Ukraine is currently recruiting volunteers from population groups not subject to conscription. Because the Geran-2 fly for hours across the country as far as western Ukraine, these defence units are also needed far behind the front.

With ever larger numbers of drones, however, low-level flight is no longer necessary everywhere – there are simply not enough air defence missiles. A trend is emerging: drones following later in a swarm avoid areas where drones were previously shot down and fly at altitudes that guns can no longer reach.

Counter-drone defence against reconnaissance drones and loitering munitions

The same applies to the fight against unmanned aerial reconnaissance assets and loitering munitions. Russia produces Zala-421, Supercam and Orlan reconnaissance drones as well as Lancet and Molniya loitering munitions in large numbers. For some time now, Russia's economy, switched to war production, has been able to build far more drones than the entire West can manufacture air defence missiles.

Ukraine is answering this imbalance with drones. As early as the first quarter of 2024, Molniya loitering munitions were intercepted for the first time with first-person view (FPV) quadcopter drones.

Warriors WU Samurai with the help of the Wild Hornets, they took down 2 Lancets, a Molniya-2, an Orlan, and a Supercam ????????
The Sky Rusoriz is in action! @sternenkofund pic.twitter.com/pqsvhELJXL

Meanwhile – as of the end of the second quarter of 2025 – intercepting reconnaissance drones with quadcopter FPVs or fixed-wing FPVs such as the Taras-P has become widely established. Carrier drones are a new addition: these fixed-wing drones carry up to two quadcopter FPVs, bring them to intercept altitude and thus extend the range and operating altitude of the interceptor drones.

Interceptors against Shahed and Geran

Four Ukrainian companies are now reportedly developing dedicated interceptors against Shahed-136/Geran-2 drones. Two of them are said to be already very successful with their designs.

Since the first half of June, Wild Hornets, a well-known Ukrainian drone manufacturer, has also joined the hunt. Prototypes of its interceptor drone, called Sting, first appeared in short videos in October 2024. The first video showing a successful Sting engagement against a Geran-2 dates from 19 May 2025.

???? russian Shahed was taken down by our STING interceptor drone ????
And this is just the beginning ????
Shahed drones strike Ukrainian cities every day — we need more STINGs to protect lives.
Please donate and help us stop them.
???? Apple Pay, Google Pay, Credit cards:… pic.twitter.com/k2c7VybPfC

An arms race is thus under way: on one side, low-cost attack weapons available in ever greater numbers – on the other, defensive means that must be just as plentiful and affordable.