Ukraine's defense industry and defense forces are intensively developing several innovative countermeasures against jet-powered Shahed drones. Specialized interceptor drones have already reached the stage of practical deployment and are demonstrating their first successful combat sorties in the skies over Ukraine.
First results and the Bars program
This was announced by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during a joint briefing with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Kyiv. According to the head of state, interceptor drones codenamed Bars have already managed to show real combat results by hitting their first aerial targets. Currently, the success rate for intercepting and destroying such complex threats is around 30%, though military engineers are working on scaling up the technology.
German funding and scaling up
Particular attention during the talks was paid to the practical implementation of agreements with Germany on joint defense production. Under the signed contracts, Ukraine is set to receive approximately 2,000 Bars drones, the production of which has already been funded by the German side. The president expressed hope for healthy competition among Ukrainian manufacturers, as other domestic companies are also developing similar systems.
New missile programs and turrets
In addition to unmanned interceptors, Kyiv is developing a small anti-aircraft missile program, details of which are not yet disclosed for security reasons, but the first practical results are expected as early as October 2026. In parallel, the deployment of dozens of automated turrets has begun to protect key critical infrastructure facilities from enemy air attacks.
