Interceptor drones of the next generation: Spys, Skyron 400, P1-Sun Jet Killer and Sting

New interceptor drones are to be used against high-speed aerial targets – and thus change the structure of air defence once again.

Interceptor drones from WIY Drones: from Strila to Spys

Step by step, Ukraine's WIY Drones is expanding its range of interceptors. It started with the Strila, which flies at up to 350 kilometres per hour. Twelve minutes of flight time, a range of around 20 kilometres and an altitude of up to 6,000 metres make it ideal for intercepting attack drones such as Shahed and Geran-2 as well as reconnaissance drones of the Zala, Orlan and SuperCam types. The Strila is codified to NATO standards (NCS).

The Strila 2 LR is designed for greater range: it stays airborne for up to 30 minutes and reaches up to 310 kilometres per hour within a radius of 25 kilometres. The Spys, still in development, promises much higher speed. At up to 600 kilometres per hour it is almost twice as fast as its two slower sister models; in return, flight time drops to five minutes and range to up to twelve kilometres.

Automatic launch, autonomous flight into the interception area and AI-supported, automated target acquisition are also in the works for the Spys. A radar assigns the interceptor its target, much like a surface-to-air missile. The operator follows the flight via daylight or thermal cameras and a multi-channel video link. The effector is a 300-gram HE warhead.

Another variant, Spys HL, is also in development. It is not launched automatically and remotely from the ground: a gunner manually locks it onto the target using a grip and shoulder stock, similar to a MANPADS surface-to-air missile (-> MANPADS: small missiles with a big impact). Because the launcher is compact, the system can be relocated quickly and launched without fixed infrastructure. It is intended for the mobile protection of positions, units and critical infrastructure.

Skyron 400 from the joint venture with Quantum Systems

In April 2026, WIY Drones and the German drone specialist Quantum Systems founded the joint venture Quantum WIY Industries (QWI). This cooperation produced the Next-Gen Counter-UAV Intercepter. Quantum Systems developed the Skyron 400 to close a gap: the one between high-performance air defence systems such as Iris-T SLM, NASAMS and Patriot on the one hand and shorter-range gun-based counter-drone systems on the other. The system is intended to provide a scalable response to massed threats from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV).

The Skyron 400 is tailored to the flight profiles of modern loitering munitions: it flies at up to 380 kilometres per hour, up to 50 kilometres and for 25 minutes, and intercepts targets at altitudes of up to 5,000 metres. Restoring the balance is the stated aim. The drone was designed against attack drones and against reconnaissance drones at medium altitude; it enables fast and precise engagements at a fraction of the cost. Valuable air defence systems thus remain available for the threats they were actually designed for.

Mosaic UXS is used as the control software. External radar sensors detect and assign the targets. The operator controls the interceptor and assigns it a target, after which it navigates autonomously.

Skyfall: Jet Killer version of the P1-Sun

Skyfall, a Ukrainian drone developer, has also followed up. With the P1-Sun Jet Killer version, the P1-Sun interceptor has been optimised to engage faster targets at high altitude. It covers up to 30 kilometres within 15 minutes, climbs to up to 9,000 metres and flies at up to 370 kilometres per hour. It carries a 500-gram HE warhead. The P1-Sun Jet Killer, already in use, is equipped with a daylight or infrared camera, analogue or digital video transmission and an AI module that recognises targets automatically.

? Рекорд перехоплень на висоті: воїни 105-го прикордонного загону ДПСУ, перехопили ворожий ZALA Z-20 дроном-перехоплювачем STING на висоті 6 858 м.
БПЗ pic.twitter.com/LjtxvRS9gY— 10 квітня (@buch10_04) July 31, 2026

Wild Hornets and the Sting

Wild Hornets, a Ukrainian drone specialist, is not shy of new records. By its own account, the company intercepted more than 9,000 targets with the Sting interceptor in the first half of the year alone. Recent notable figures include several successful engagements against the Russian Zala Z-20 reconnaissance drone at altitudes of 5,000 to 7,000 metres. Added to this is Hornet CTRL, the company's own system with which pilots control Sting interceptors over distances of hundreds of kilometres and use them successfully.