Fedorov: Ukrainian interceptor drones shot down over 33,000 enemy UAVs in March — twice as many as in February
In March, Ukrainian interceptor drones destroyed over 33,000 Russian UAVs of various types — twice as many as the month before. At the same time, one of the key challenges remains countering high-speed jet-powered Shahed-type drones.
This was reported by Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, Censor.NET informs.
Meeting with interceptor drone manufacturers
"I met with interceptor drone manufacturers to get feedback from the market and define the next steps for protecting the sky," Fedorov said.
Interceptor drones are a Ukrainian innovation that has already become a key component of Ukraine’s air defense. In March alone, interceptors shot down more than 33,000 enemy UAVs of various types, including Shaheds, Gerberas, Molniyas, Zala drones, Orlans, and others. This is twice as many as in the previous month.
Key challenge — jet-powered Shaheds
The enemy is scaling up their use, speeds are increasing, and interception is becoming more difficult. Our task is to find a technological solution. Together with manufacturers, we analyzed products and their readiness, identified bottlenecks, and synchronized efforts for rapid scaling.
Recently, Brave1 supported 12 technologies under the EU4UA Defence Tech grant program implemented jointly with the EU. Companies will receive up to €150,000 for the development of high-speed interceptors (450+ km/h) and advanced counter-air systems.
Separately, following the President’s tasking, systemic issues were discussed: contracting for 2026, pilot training, testing ranges, shortages of ground stations, exports, and updates to performance evaluation criteria within the Army of Drones.Bonus. Solutions are being prepared for each issue.
To create and develop the interceptor market, the team has taken a number of systemic steps:
- launched a unique model for rewarding companies for intercepting Shaheds. It was within this experiment that a Shahed was first downed by an interceptor drone;
- since 2024, Brave1 has issued more than 40 grants to manufacturers; today, the cluster includes around 100 interceptor drone producers;
- launched the Brave1 Dataroom — a platform for training and validating artificial intelligence models. Currently, more than 30 companies are testing, validating, and training over 50 AI models for detecting and intercepting aerial targets at different times of day and under various weather conditions.
During the meeting, two key tasks were set for manufacturers:
1. Develop and scale jet-powered interceptor drone technologies to counter jet-powered Shaheds.
2. Develop alternative terminal guidance systems capable of operating in complex weather conditions.
"The state, under transparent market conditions, is ready to rapidly procure new technologies from manufacturers that effectively meet these objectives and protect Ukraine’s sky," Fedorov said.
