Ukraine's arms makers found a way to get interceptor pilots out of danger without losing their reach

KYIV, Ukraine — Russian drones were once hunted by Ukrainian air defense crews on the ground nearby; their signal and ability to communicate with an interceptor could only stretch so far.

Pilots operating the P1-Sun, a bullet-shaped interceptor drone made by the Ukrainian company Skyfall, used to have a range of roughly 20 miles to identify and take down Russian uncrewed aircraft, limiting their coverage area.

But now, the pilots can operate from hundreds or thousands of miles from the front lines via satellite-based internet, a Skyfall representative told Business Insider. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive industry developments.

As the battlefield grows increasingly dangerous for Ukrainian drone pilots, some of its top interceptor drone manufacturers have figured out how to move the operators farther from the action — possibly to another continent — without compromising their mission.

Skyfall's representative referred to this as an "extremely important" development. "Pilots are being constantly targeted on the front line," they said, and remote operations keep them safer from the Russians.

Continents, not countries

Interceptor drones emerged last year as a crucial air defense tool for Ukraine as Russia dramatically ramped up production of its deadly one-way attack drones, commonly referred to as Shaheds or Gerans.

Ukrainian interceptor drones are generally propeller-driven, armed with small warheads, and can destroy their targets by colliding with them or by exploding nearby. They are cheap — some worth as little as $2,000 — and designed to cost a fraction of what a Shahed attack drone costs, typically tens of thousands of dollars.

Mykhailo Fedorov, the Ukrainian defense minister, told reporters last month that the share of Shaheds shot down by interceptor drones has doubled since the start of the year, underscoring their growing role in Kyiv's air defense network.

An instructor with Wild Hornets, a Ukrainian company that makes a leading interceptor drone called "Sting," said pilots are facing greater risk on the battlefield compared to earlier in the war due to increased Russian reconnaissance operations with a deeper reach into Ukrainian lines.

The instructor, who goes by the call sign "Nazar" for security reasons, told Business Insider that pilots face the same risks on the front lines as in the rear. "It doesn't matter how far you are from the enemy. You always have to think about concealment."

Nazar said that "the more reconnaissance there is, the more strike drones are directed at air defense crews," and that this elevated risk to pilots prompted Wild Hornets to develop remote operations.

Wild Hornets announced the remote-control technology "HORNET VISION Ctrl" in March and said pilots could fly interceptors hundreds of kilometers from their launch point. "Shahed drones can be downed even from your apartment," the company said in a social media post, adding that large-scale deployment of the system has begun.

This evolution of control resembles how US pilots operate MQ-9 Reaper strike drones around the world from the confines of Creech Air Force Base in Nevada.

Sting can be piloted from a distance of more than 1,200 miles using Starlink internet connectivity, Wild Hornets personnel said.

"Right now, we are working on making it possible to operate Stings, for example, from another continent, not only from another country," a Wild Hornets spokesperson told Business Insider. They spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive developments.

Ground crews, not the remote operators, will typically prepare the interceptors for launch.

Oleksiy Vyskub, Ukraine's first deputy defense minister, said Russia is changing its drone tactics on a weekly basis, and it can be difficult to predict their corridors of attack.

That's why Ukraine developed remote-control interceptor drones, he told Business Insider. A limited number of pilots could be posted in a comfortable office somewhere, and with this tech, they have the connectivity and situational awareness to defeat incoming Russian Shaheds.

The remote-control drones aren't just limited to interceptors, either. Ratel Robotics, a Ukrainian company that makes uncrewed ground vehicles, or UGVs, is working on similar technology.

"We are increasing the distance from the platform to our operator," an instructor with Ratel, who spoke on the condition of anonymity over security concerns, told Business Insider. "If we operate the machine via Starlink, the operator can be safe, for example, in any other country."

The remote operations are among several ways Ukrainian interceptor makers are trying to stay ahead of Russia in the air battle. Skyfall and Wild Hornets are expanding their use of artificial intelligence for targeting, though plans remain to keep humans in the loop.

The companies are also developing interceptors that can fly faster to keep pace with Russia's high-speed, jet-powered Shaheds. Skyfall's P1-Sun, for instance, can reach nearly 200 mph, and plans are to boost that to 250 mph.

Russia is adapting, too. It has equipped some drones with electronic warfare technology to fend off Ukrainian interceptors and has started using a new jet-powered Shahed that can travel up to 310 mph — an upgrade from predecessors that typically cruise at roughly 200 mph.