Yaroslav Azhnyuk’s Ukrainian defense company «Fourth Law» has officially unveiled the autonomous interceptor «Zerov-8», designed to counter enemy drones. It has an AI autonomous detection system that allows it to detect targets at a distance 2-3 times better than its counterparts.
Yaroslav Azhnyuk’s Ukrainian defense company «Fourth Law» has officially unveiled the autonomous interceptor «Zerov-8», designed to counter enemy drones. It has an AI autonomous detection system that allows it to detect targets at a distance 2-3 times better than its counterparts.
The Fourth Law reported that the Zerov-8 is designed according to the Tailsitter scheme (a vertical take-off and landing interceptor model). The drone has the following characteristics:
The interceptor bears the name of Nikolai Zerov, one of the leading leaders of the «neoclassics», a poet, translator, and intellectual who was persecuted in the 1930s, arrested, sentenced to camps, and shot on November 3, 1937 in the Sandarmokh tract (Karelia).
Thus, Yaroslav Azhnyuk’s miltech startups continue the tradition of naming products in honor of prominent figures of the «Shooted Renaissance» and the «Sixties» — Ukrainian intellectuals of the 20th century, persecuted and destroyed by the Soviet regime.
The Zerov-8 is equipped with the TFL Anti-Shahed detection module, which is designed to be used against enemy Shahed-type aerial targets. The system autonomously detects the drone by analyzing the object’s movement, its thermal signature, and other parameters using AI.
After detection, the system «highlights» the target and continues its stable tracking, working in parallel and without interfering with the flight. The pilot independently chooses the direction of approach. The module is installed on board, together with a thermal imaging camera (usually «Kurbas-640 Beta»), a flight controller or a video transmitter.
«The most important part of an autonomous interceptor is not just the moment of impact, but detection. We have trained the system to see targets where the human eye or standard sensors fail. This gives us precious time and distance to maneuver, which means the difference between intercepting Shahed or hitting him on the ground,» said Yaroslav Azhnyuk, founder and CEO of the Fourth Law company.
The Fourth Law says that Zerov-8 is focused on automation. Its detection system has the following advantages:
In the future, the drone will be integrated with external radars to automatically guide it onto the interception trajectory. The software package minimizes the impact of the human factor:
Currently, «Zerov-8» is in the final stages of full-cycle autonomous interception testing.
