General Cherry launches academy for interceptor-drone pilots - mobile training program for Defense Forces units
Drone Industry
The defence-tech company General Cherry announces that, starting October 1, 2025, it is launching training for interceptor-drone pilots at the General Cherry Academy, a practical training and operational support programme for units countering enemy UAVs.
The Academy will train UAV operators to down strike and reconnaissance drones using the flagship Ukrainian interceptor drone, General Cherry AIR.
General Cherry AIR emerged in response to the need to shoot down Russian reconnaissance drones that would hover for hours and adjust strikes, including on civilian facilities. Today, General Cherry AIR is a market leader among Ukrainian interceptor drones, with thousands of enemy reconnaissance and strike UAVs taken out.
The General Cherry Academy will employ mobile training teams that deploy to brigades for hands-on instruction specifically on interceptors, with demonstrations and support sessions. In essence, it is a streamlined, practice-focused course: flying FPV interceptors, tactics of employment, and basic diagnostics and maintenance.
The Academy is headed by Oleksandr "Drakar", a serviceman and war veteran who also serves as General Cherry’s strategic development adviser. Training is prioritised for troops operating on high-intensity frontline sectors that require stronger air defences, as well as for mobile air-defence teams tasked with neutralising Shahed drones threatening Ukrainian towns and infrastructure.
Military units can apply via email at [email protected]
General Cherry is a Ukrainian defence-tech company that develops and mass-produces FPV loitering-munitions drones and General Cherry AIR interceptor drones. All systems are built for real frontline requirements and are used in combat by units of Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces.
