The Ukrainian military has received the first Terra A1 interceptors, created together with the Japanese company Terra Drone, and is already testing them in real conditions to combat Shahed-type strike drones.
The Ukrainian military has received the first Terra A1 interceptors, created together with the Japanese company Terra Drone, and is already testing them in real conditions to combat Shahed-type strike drones.
As RBC-Ukraine reports with reference to Terra Drone, the first devices have been transferred to one of the divisions, where they are being tested in operation and feedback from operators is being collected. The company explicitly states that this is the initial stage: the equipment is being provided in limited quantities, the results are being looked at, and only then will they decide whether to scale up use.
Terra A1 was created as a cheaper tool for intercepting drones. Its task is to close the problem when to destroy relatively inexpensive «shaheeds» it is necessary to spend much more expensive means. According to the developers, the device can reach speeds of up to 300 km/h, operate at a distance of up to 30 km and remain in the air for about 15 minutes.
The focus is not only on performance, but also on usability. The military is expected to evaluate how quickly the drone can be prepared for launch, how it behaves in flight, and whether it holds its target stably. Initial feedback is positive: operators say the drone is easy to control and responds predictably to maneuvers.
The project is being developed through the Ukrainian company Amazing Drones, which Terra Drone invested in. The Japanese developer actually went into this direction after analyzing the war in Ukraine, where the massive use of drones changed the approach to air defense.
If testing shows results, the developers plan to increase production and expand the use of such interceptors in units.
Terra A1 appeared as a response to the problem of the cost of intercepting drones. In its previous statements, Terra Drone noted that in some regions of Ukraine thousands of drone launches can be recorded every month, and classic air defense systems are not designed for such a load from an economic point of view. That is why the focus is on mass, relatively cheap interceptors that can be quickly produced and used in large quantities. Ukraine became the first testing ground for testing this concept in real combat conditions.
Previously, dev.ua spoke with Terra Drone CEO Toru Tokushige and Amazing Drones CEO Maksym Klymenko about the emergence of Japanese-Ukrainian defense cooperation and current challenges in the interceptor drone market.
