The “Spys” interceptor is already shooting down “Geran-5” jet drones flying towards Kyiv. What if Russia increases their speed? We spoke to a representative of the company that produces “Spyses”

The “Spys” interceptor has at least one confirmed case of hitting a Russian “Geran-5”. Can we say that there are more such cases?

Yes, there are more confirmed cases. We have now produced approximately 500 "Spyses". They are being tested by top units, and the overall feedback is positive: eight out of ten units like the product.

We expect "Spys" to be codified on the 20th of this month.

[To make] 500 "Spyses" — how long does it take?

In a month. A month ago, we didnʼt even have the components for them on the required scale.

Now production is ramping up, the company is growing, people are being recruited. In November, there should be at least 3 000 [interceptors].

Am I understanding correctly that “Spys” is powered by electric motors, not a jet engine?

Yes. Itʼs a multirotor, i.e., four rotor motors, like all of our previous drones.

What is the maximum speed of “Spys”, and how long can it maintain it?

The codified [maximum] speed of "Spys" is 450 kmph. It can maintain this speed for approximately 60 seconds. During tests, the interceptor was accelerated to 504 kmph.

How does it manage to intercept jet-powered “Gerans”? Isnʼt such a target only capable of being intercepted by a jet-powered interceptor?

A multirotor will always be slower than a jet drone. But this does not mean that it cannot shoot it down — we already know cases of hitting targets “head-on”. Now many companies are working on changing the tactics of interception. Accuracy and the choice of a method of intercepting a specific target are important here.

There are two ways to intercept a target: to catch up or to “meet”. If we are talking about catching up, the interceptor must be noticeably faster than the target. “Meeting” of the target is much more difficult, with only a fraction of a second left to aim. Any mistake results in a miss, and there is unlikely to be a second attempt.

In addition, the interceptor must be accurately placed on the target’s course in advance, taking into account its altitude, speed, and distance. Although, this way it can be shot down earlier and further from the object it is heading for.

If the interceptor misses, can it re-make run over the target?

It depends on the situation. Sometimes you are flying to the target, but another drone is ahead of you. Another situation is when you are trying to catch up a “Geran” jet drone with “Spys”. Here you only have one attempt, because you have to fly at 100% power, and this drains the battery a lot. Because of this, the drone will not intercept another target and will not reach the launch site. Then the pilot and command blow it up in the air.

We have seen many times how various drones in Donetsk or Kharkiv regions fell due to loss of control or other technical problems.

We have a protective mechanism — if communication with the drone is lost, it flies for another two minutes. If during this time communication is not restored, the drone gains a safe height of 500 meters and explodes there. It may happen that it does not have enough power to gain height, then it explodes earlier. If the drone has already fallen, it does not explode.

In preparation for the conversation, we spoke with several drone experts. They say that the “Geran” can fly at different speeds. How this is connected?

This is due to fuel economy and the way the Russians use drones. When videos of “Geran-5” hits began to appear online, the Russians adapted and began to change the speed of the drones at different parts of the route.

For example, “Geran-5” flies into Ukraine at a speed of 370 kmph, and in the radar range it accelerates to 490-500 kmph. This way it avoids interception and moves further along the route.

The Russians are experimenting, testing different fuel mixtures. Everyone has probably seen the videos in which the “Geran-5” simply falls over Kyiv like a stick.

What does this mean? Most likely, it ran out of fuel. I think there are many such cases on the route from Kursk and Bryansk regions through Chernihiv — they run out of fuel. During the production and use of “Gerans”, most likely, many mistakes occur.

Some aviation experts suggest that Russia could increase the speed of “Geran-5” to 700-800 kmph. If Russian drones fly faster, will “Spys” still be able to intercept them? Are you considering developing jet-powered interceptors?

Yes, “Spys” will be able to shoot down [targets flying at 700-800 kmph]. STRILA will also be able to shoot them down.

We are developing a jet interceptor. I will not give any more details so as not to teach anyone.

Serhiy Sternenko explained to us that to intercept fast jet drones, target homing systems are needed so that the interceptor can independently detect the target and correct its flight. Is this possible?

There are various components in [target homing] guidance systems, particularly missile systems.

At first, the missile flies to the approximate point of rendezvous with the target. It is calculated in real time based on data transmitted from the ground by radar. Another component is the [automatic] homing head.

For example, in “Patriot PAC” missiles, the missile itself and the homing head can be manufactured by different manufacturers, and then these components are combined. This is an effective solution, but the question is the size and cost of such a system.

If you look at “Brave1”, the interceptors there cost from UAH 50 to 200 000, i.e., much cheaper than a regular “Shahed”, and it is economically profitable to shoot down targets with them.

The situation is different with the jet “Shaheds”. They cost $150-200 000 (or even more, if you take into account the launch, salaries and other costs). But interceptor missiles cost even more, and they take longer to produce.

Therefore, our task is to create an interceptor that will cost at least ten times less than the target.

We canʼt put a 360-degree rotating head on such an interceptor, because it costs over $100 000. This cost includes the rotating mechanisms, guidance systems, calculations, and other components.

Thatʼs why manufacturers are trying other options.

For example, which ones?

One such approach is to use artificial intelligence to recognize targets and control flight. There are different types of artificial intelligence. For example, we all know “Claude” (itʼs generative artificial intelligence).

There is also machine learning, which has been around for about 50 years and is constantly being improved. It allows you to teach a machine to recognize certain objects or perform other highly special tasks.

We use machine learning — we taught the model to control flight and recognize objects. The camera captures 30 frames per second, and in each frame the system must recognize objects and compare them with previous frames.

Reaching a target and hitting it is a difficult task. Even deviations of a tenth of a degree have a significant impact on the flight path. For a computer, calculating a turn even of a hundredth of a degree is not difficult. At high speeds, 100 milliseconds is approximately 20-25 meters of flight. A person may not have time to react, but a computer will.

We already have this system, but not on a mass scale yet. [The system] helps not only during the interception itself, but also decides whether it is worth launching the drone at all. The tactical range of STRILA is approximately 15 kilometers. Its cruising speed is approximately 220-230 kmph, and its maximum speed is 350 kmph.

The interceptor may not have time to reach the jet target before it flies past. Our system will tell you that it is not worth taking off — the target is far away and moving too fast. The system can block such a launch.

The fact that the technical specifications indicate a maximum speed of 350 kmph creates a misunderstanding. An interceptor cannot constantly fly at the same speed as, for example, a jet-powered aircraft.

This difference must be taken into account when using interceptors.

Is “Spys” capable of hitting drones that change route or receive new coordinates during flight?

Yes. Radar plays an extremely important role in such a scenario. If it transmits accurate data, interception is possible.

Even despite the changes in routes, which happen constantly.

We continue to detect new, protected 32-element satellite navigation antennas in the “Shahed” drones attacking Kyiv. Previously, they used antennas with 16 elements. To what extent does the ability of an enemy drone to maintain satellite navigation under the influence of electronic warfare (EW) affect the difficulty of intercepting it?

This does not affect the interception. The main criteria that matter are speed and altitude. Everything else is irrelevant.

On September 30, the advisor to the President of Ukraine on technological directions Serhiy Beskrestnov ("Flash") reported that new protected satellite navigation antennas with 32 elements began to appear in Russian drones.

Сергій FLASH / Telegram

Сергій FLASH / Telegram

If, letʼs say conditionally, 100 “Gerans” fly to Kyiv at the same time, will “Spyses” be able to cope with so many targets?

To launch 100 “Gerans”, they need 100 launchers in different places that have to work simultaneously. Itʼs difficult, so they will look for another way.

To combat this, we need to burn down launch pads on Russian territory. If there are Middle Strikes flying over Russian territory that will recognize the launchers and hit them, [it will be] great.

Recently, a concept was shown online, according to which 8 “Spys” interceptors will be placed on the wings of a deep strike drone. What kind of system is this?

A similar idea has been around since 2023 — to replicate what an airplane does. Under its wings are missiles that are launched in the air.

The same can be done on a UAV. Then the interceptor would not need to quickly gain altitude from the ground.

Recently, “Starlink” limited the operation of terminals at speeds above 160 kmph. According to some experts, this has complicated the work of Ukrainian interceptor drones, in particular against jet drones. Do you have a solution for such a case?

Ukrainian manufacturers really use a lot of foreign technologies, and some systems can be disabled. We are still adapting. Many aircraft manufacturers have not used “Starlink” for a long time.

We also do not use [“Starlink”] in interceptors. It is generally bad to use communication systems with a high delay in interceptors. A delay of 200 milliseconds is about 40 meters of distance traveled.

That is, by the time the video reaches the operator with a delay of 200 milliseconds, the interceptor will have flown another 40 meters, and this is a problem.