Наталя ХандусенкоWeapon
13 October 2026, 12:29
2026-10-13
In a year, Sting interceptors from the Wild Hornets shot down over 15,500 "Shaheeds": what damage did this cause to the enemy
The Ukrainian Sting anti-aircraft drone from the miltech company "Wild Hornets" has been at the top of the ranking of the most effective means of intercepting Russian drones of the "Shahed", "Geran" and "Gerber" types for the 12th month in a row. Over the year, the fighters of the Ukrainian Defense Forces caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the occupiers thanks to this development.
The Ukrainian Sting anti-aircraft drone from the miltech company "Wild Hornets" has been at the top of the ranking of the most effective means of intercepting Russian drones of the "Shahed", "Geran" and "Gerber" types for the 12th month in a row. Over the year, the fighters of the Ukrainian Defense Forces caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the occupiers thanks to this development.
According to confirmed data, in September alone, Sting interceptors neutralized about 1,600 enemy targets, significantly outpacing other means of destruction, the company's press service reports.
In total, over the year — from October 2025 to September 2026 — units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces destroyed more than 15,500 Russian UAVs (“Shahed”, “Geran”, “Gerbera”) with the help of Sting, of which more than 10,000 were strike “Shahed” and “Geran”.
According to military intelligence and analysts, the average cost of one Russian-made strike UAV is about $70,000. Over $700,000,000 is the direct damage inflicted on the Russian aggressor by Ukrainian Sting operators during a year of operation. The statistics do not include hundreds of other destroyed enemy reconnaissance and strike UAVs, which are not separately recorded.
However, developers and military personnel emphasize that the main result of using interceptors is the saved lives of Ukrainian civilians and the protection of critical infrastructure facilities, which remain priority targets for Russian air attacks.
High performance is achieved through continuous technological improvements. In particular, the implementation of the Hornet Vision Ctrl remote control system was a key factor in success. Currently, pilots of three of the four most effective combat units operate Sting interceptors remotely.
In addition, in September, the Sting took first place in the rating of interceptors of the jet versions of the Russian Shahed. To destroy high-speed targets, the company has developed a new modification - Sting S, which is a high-speed interceptor designed to destroy jet and small-sized targets. It is currently undergoing combat tests before the start of mass production, but has already successfully eliminated small-sized Geran-5 missiles.
