Russia Develops 'Bolt' Interceptor Drone for Anti-Drone Defense

The Bolt interceptor drone, which is a low-cost means of repelling massive unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) attacks compared to traditional air defense systems, has been developed in Russia and has successfully passed initial trials, the All-Russian People’s Front movement, whose Kulibin Club supports the developers, told TASS.

"When the Bolt UAV receives a signal from radar stations, it departs from its launch tube and flies fully automatically to a designated target area. The optical homing head then locks on to the enemy target and engages it with a warhead or kinetic energy. The Bolt has already been successfully tested at testing grounds, and we will conduct further testing with the People’s Front," a spokesperson for the developer, Ploshchad, said.

He specified that the Bolt UAV is part of the Ploshchad-PVO air defense system, which integrates detection systems, launchers, drone ports, automated operator workstations, and the interceptors themselves, which, upon command from the operator, launch and engage a verified target.

The Kulibin Club selects, tests, and supports the mass production of the best products designed by Russian engineers. Thanks to this initiative, thousands of innovative electronic warfare systems, quadcopters, self-propelled robotic vehicles, and other products have been deployed to the front lines.