With a maximum speed in excess of 315km per hour, the Sting tears across Ukrainian skies with a shriek quite unlike the buzz or hum typical of other military drones. The bullet-shaped quadcopter is a drone killer, developed in a matter of months by Ukraine’s innovative defence technology sector.
Kyiv is racing to produce thousands of such interceptors to shoot down Russian attack drones more cheaply and effectively than conventional air defence systems, setting an example for European allies facing their own aerial vulnerabilities.
Europe’s interest in the technology has surged since 21 Russian attack drones entered Polish air space earlier this month, exposing weaknesses in Nato’s air defences. The alliance had to scramble F-35 fighters to shoot down four of the drones with expensive air-to-air missiles, and EU states are now eyeing Ukrainian drone interceptors as part of a proposed “drone wall” along their eastern flank.