Raivis Melnis says Latvian interceptor drones will down Russian Shaheds over Ukraine (Photo: Ministry of Defence of Latvia via X)
“The drones and interceptors are produced right here in Latvia,” Melnis said. “Every year, we allocate 0.25% of our GDP to support Ukraine. We purchase systems from Latvian industry, deliver them to Ukraine, and provide training. We have agreed with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense that Latvia will supply these systems – interceptor drones, surveillance drones, ground robotic platforms, and uncrewed weapon systems.”
“I believe that this September, we will begin delivering the first interceptors, which are technologically advanced, autonomous systems. Testing in Latvia has shown that these are highly effective systems.”
He noted that Latvia will purchase and deliver the interceptor drones not only for field testing, but specifically to shoot down Russian Shahed drones.
Challenges in developing interceptors for jet-powered Shaheds
Ukrainian presidential technology adviser Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov told Radio NV on August 24 that Ukrainian manufacturers had not yet developed jet-powered interceptor drones for Shaheds and Banderols.
“We are all waiting for jet-powered interceptors, and we have been waiting quite a long time – since winter. We had a big meeting, and in the winter many manufacturers said that we already had jet-powered interceptors, you could say,” Beskrestnov stated. “There were literally just a few weeks to go, and everything would be flying. But unfortunately, the challenge turned out to be more difficult than it seemed. Many months have passed, and we still don’t have anything like that.”
Beskrestnov said Russia followed its jet-powered Geran-3 Shaheds, which fly at about 300 kilometers per hour, with mass production of jet-powered Geran-4 Shaheds, which reach speeds of 450–550 kilometers per hour. A jet-powered interceptor therefore needs to reach 600 kilometers per hour, making the task significantly more difficult for manufacturers.
Flash said there was still no working solution and air defenses were using air-to-air missiles, surface-to-air missiles and MANPADS to shoot down jet-powered Shaheds.
“Right now, by my calculations, we are shooting down up to 80% of jet-powered Shaheds. From my perspective, that is a very good result,” Beskrestnov said.
Aviation expert Valerii Romanenko told Radio NV in July that Ukraine’s air defense interception rate against Shaheds had recently fallen from 90% to 76% because the Russians had begun using jet-powered Shaheds, which fly at 300–450 kilometers per hour, compared with 180 kilometers per hour for conventional Shaheds.
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