Ukraine's early-July trials of intercept drones involving multiple manufacturers failed to go as planned, two people familiar with the exercise said. Many intercept drones were difficult to control at speeds sometimes above 400 km/h and several crashed into nearby fields and woods. The exercise underscores Ukraine's winter challenge: insufficient Western air-defence systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles and no clear solution for Moscow's faster, more powerful drones. Ukrainian military d

2026-09-15

Ukraine's early-July trials of intercept drones involving multiple manufacturers failed to go as planned, two people familiar with the exercise said. Many intercept drones were difficult to control at speeds sometimes above 400 km/h and several crashed into nearby fields and woods. The exercise underscores Ukraine's winter challenge: insufficient Western air-defence systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles and no clear solution for Moscow's faster, more powerful drones. Ukrainian military data seen by Reuters showed Russia's use of jet-powered attack drones rose roughly sixfold over the three months this summer.