Ukraine tests new interceptor against jet-powered Shahed drones

Ukraine has tested a domestically built interceptor designed to counter jet-powered Shahed attack drones, and the engagement succeeded, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky. In his nightly address on September 15, 2026, he said more engineering work is needed before the system is ready and that the process will take additional time.

Zelensky gave no details about the weapon or the company that built it. He did not say whether the interceptor is a drone or a missile, how it reaches its target, or when it might be fielded. No performance figures or production goals were provided. One engagement with the new system worked, he said, and other Ukrainian developers are continuing work on ways to counter the threat.

The same address covered the wider air defence picture. Zelensky said 93 percent of Russian drones were intercepted over the previous night and that the country needs to do more to protect its citizens. Ukraine's military said 187 airborne targets were downed overnight.

Iran presented the jet-powered Shahed-238 publicly in November 2023, an evolution of the propeller-driven Shahed-136. Its use against Ukraine was reported from January 2024. Russia later produced its own variant, the Geran-3, with manufacturing said to have begun in 2025. The Shahed-136 is powered by a piston engine turning a propeller, while the Shahed-238 and Geran-3 carry small turbojet engines. All are one-way attack drones that fly an explosive warhead to a target. Jet power brings much higher speeds, which leaves defenders less time to spot, follow and engage them.