Russian military expert highlights new high-speed interceptor drone

MOSCOW, September 2. /TASS/. The interceptor drone capable of reaching speeds up to 1,000 km/h, developed by a Tatarstan-based company, is a groundbreaking development in the field of anti-aircraft missile systems, Alexander Stepanov, a military expert at the Institute of Law and National Security at the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA), told TASS.

Earlier, media reports said that the Tatarstan-based company Aerokon had demonstrated a prototype of an interceptor drone capable of reaching speeds of up to 1,000 km/h. The drone acquires its target using machine vision and a thermal imager.

"This is truly a revolution, in a certain sense, in anti-aircraft missile weapon systems. The first aspect is the high degree of autonomy and the creation of a potentially dead area extending up to 150 km deep. Given that terminal guidance is expected to utilize artificial intelligence algorithms, this significantly streamlines the use of this system, including under conditions of active electronic countermeasures. Most importantly, it ensures a high level of safety for the carriers and delivery systems of such weapons," Stepanov noted.

According to the expert, the use of this drone will help secure maritime areas, paralyze NATO’s air patrols in key zones, and neutralize any aerial target on the front and in the rear.

"I am confident that this concept includes mass production and a relatively low price compared to the expensive missiles of Western systems such as the Patriot. This is an asymmetric response to both the drone wall and the mass deployment of missile defense and air defense systems along our border," concluded Stepanov.