Octopus interceptor drone launched into mass production

The Octopus interceptor drone has been put into mass production in Ukraine. It is designed to shoot down “Shahed” strike drones.

This was reported by the Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.

The technology has been transferred to the first three manufacturers. Another 11 are preparing production facilities.

The Octopus is a Ukrainian-made drone developed in collaboration with the UK. In October, the British Ministry of Defence reported plans for thousands of such drones for Ukraine each month.

According to Shmyhal, the droneʼs capabilities have been confirmed in combat. It operates at night, under jamming, and at low altitudes.

• On September 26, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrsky said that a new branch of the Armed Forces of Ukraine is being created — UAV Air Defense Systems.
• These are domestic and foreign-made interceptor drones that destroy Russian "Shahed" drones with high efficiency — 70% or more.
• "Therefore, units equipped with these interceptor drones are being created and expanded, as well as a command that will deal with these drones," the commander-in-chief noted.
• On November 7, President Zelensky appointed Colonel Yuriy Cherevashenko as commander of a new branch of the military. He is tasked with scaling up the development of the unmanned component in the Air Force.

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