Yaroslav Filimonov, CEO of Kvertus, explained why interceptor drones do not become a wall against Russian drones and how it is still worth creating such a protective wall.
Yaroslav Filimonov, CEO of Kvertus, explained why interceptor drones do not become a wall against Russian drones and how it is still worth creating such a protective wall.
«Interceptor drones are not DroneWall. Yes, Britain is right to act now. According to The Telegraph, «The UK has launched a drone development program with Ukraine, codenamed ProjectOctopus, under which interceptor drones will be manufactured within weeks and deployed to deter Russian aggression. However, we know that the threat is diverse and there is no silver bullet against it,» he notes .
According to Filimonov, it’s not just about the «shaheeds.» «The main danger is FPV swarms, reconnaissance drones, and cheap new platforms. Interceptors have limitations. At night, they are almost blind, the hit rate is low, and maneuvering drones often flee. Night operations are a serious gap. Without advanced infrared/thermal sensors, interceptors are almost useless after dark. Adding these sensors makes the costs unacceptable,» Filimonov explains.
The Kvertus CEO adds: physics still applies. «Shaheeds lose ~40% of their range when jets are ignited. Many drones use simple evasive maneuvers that make interception unreliable,» he notes.
Detection, Filimonov argues, is the bottleneck. «Without seamless radar, RF, acoustic, and optical networks, interceptors are blind. Tracking, not interception, is the hardest part,» he notes.
Filimonov emphasizes: the economy matters. Russia, he reminds, can launch hundreds of cheap drones for the cost of one interceptor. «Without electronic warfare and other inexpensive layers, interceptors alone are a losing equation,» the head of the company’s defense technology said.
Most drones still rely on GPS, he said, and jamming remains the cheapest and most effective countermeasure.
«Leveled defense is the only way. Ukraine achieves ~80% effectiveness only when EW, mobile fire groups, physical barriers, and interceptors work together. A real wall of drones is built in. Sensors, EW, interceptors, barriers, and C2 systems must be connected across borders. This is the Atlas model,» Filimonov notes.
He summarizes: interceptor drones, even mass-produced ones, do not create a «drone wall,» they are one useful layer, but by themselves they leave Europe open.
