Ukraine debuts new drone interceptor for city defense

Ukrainian company Ukrainska Bavovna has pushed the tested range of its new interceptor drone, the Last Shadow T200, to 122 km (76 miles) during recent combat trials, well beyond the 70 km (43 miles) it originally claimed, Militarnyi reported after the company presented the aircraft at an event hosted by the Technological Forces of Ukraine association.

The Last Shadow T200 is built to defend cities and operate along the front line, intercepting threats including Shahed and Geran attack drones, along with Gerbera decoys and Molniya drones, company representatives told Militarnyi.

The aircraft has a stated top speed of 300 km/h (186 mph) and a practical ceiling of 5 km (16,400 ft). Endurance runs about one hour at cruising speed and roughly 40 minutes at higher speeds. During the recent trial, the drone covered the extended 122 km distance while maintaining a stable video link, according to the company.

The airframe and its warhead are both codified with Ukraine’s defense ministry, and work on the aircraft began last year. The warhead’s initiation board is configurable to operator needs and fires on a pulse-width modulation signal when engaging aerial targets.

“It has a very good power margin. About 7 kg of thrust. In practice, much less is used. So the motor and propeller could actually pull two such aircraft. It reaches 35 m/s (115 ft/s), that’s a very good indicator,” a representative of Ukrainska Bavovna told Militarnyi.

The design includes a camera that lowers and raises to improve target search, along with a system that switches video channels and frequency bands to counter Shtora, a Russian video-spoofing system built to disrupt drone video feeds.

The airframe is currently produced by 3D printing, but the manufacturer plans to shift to casting within a few months to increase durability and allow the aircraft to be reused after multiple landings. Developers are also integrating an automatic terminal-guidance module that would let a pilot lock onto a target with a toggle switch, handing off the final engagement to the aircraft.

Ukrainska Bavovna says it maximizes localization of its component base inside Ukraine and, as an integrator, offers joint research and development, testing, and maintenance, repair and overhaul services to foreign partners.

To train operators, the company has partnered with the Dovzhyk pilot school, where more than 70 veteran instructors train crews to fly various drone types, including interceptors.