Darwin protective net effectively counters Ukraine’s Lyuty, Hornet UAVs — developer

ST. PETERSBURG, October 8. /TASS/. The Darwin protective capture net has demonstrated high effectiveness against the An-196 Lyuty long-range fixed-wing drones and US-made Hornet strike drones, Dmitry Dorofeyev, CEO of Mechanical Protection Systems, told TASS.

"Over the past two years, the Darwin net has regularly and effectively intercepted drones of various types. The majority of them are small FPV drones and Mavics. A large number of Hornet-type drones have also been neutralized, and we’ve intercepted many Lyuty drones," he said on the sidelines of the All-Russian Drone Congress 2026.

According to him, the company receives information about the effectiveness of the Darwin system directly from its customers, which include oil and defense enterprises. "Attacks are intensifying now, so we’ve increased production of Darwin nets accordingly," he added.

Mechanical Protection Systems manufactures Darwin anti-drone nets. The system is used in Russia to protect civilian critical infrastructure, military facilities, equipment, and personnel. An innovative weaving technique, the "spider knot," allows the net to gently absorb the impact of an UAV and reduce the likelihood of an explosive device detonating.

The All-Russian Drone Congress organized by the unmanned technologies center of excellence RuDrones is taking place in St. Petersburg from October 7-9.