Sept 15 (Reuters) – President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine was carrying out tests on a new weapon to intercept drones and had recorded a successful hit overnight.
“Another development is undergoing testing. It’s a Ukrainian development and it scored a hit, the ‘shahed’ was destroyed,” Zelenskiy said in his nightly video address, referring to the Iranian-designed drones that Ukraine’s military has faced.
“But some technical things still need to be refined. We need a bit more time. The work of other developers is continuing.”
Ukraine’s military said on Facebook that its forces had downed 187 airborne targets overnight.
In his remarks, Zelenskiy said 93% of all Russian drones had been intercepted overnight.
“That is significant. But, of course, more is needed,” he said.
Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, Ukraine has rapidly developed anti-drone technology and now offers its expertise to other countries, including some in the Middle East that have faced Iranian strikes.
It has focused on developing interceptors as an efficient and cheaper means of intercepting drones.
Ukrainian forces have had more difficulty downing Russian ballistic missiles and have asked Western allies to step up supplies of interceptors. Kyiv is also pressing for the rapid development of a European-designed air defence system, known as Freyja.
(Reporting by Ron Popeski; Editing by Nia Williams)
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