Ukrainian manufacturer Vluchnyk is preparing a new drone-interceptor to combat Shahed jets. The Zorelit v6 should accelerate to over 400 km/h and climb to an altitude of up to 5 km. The company is also testing autonomous interception and is trying to launch production of its drones in Europe.
Ukrainian manufacturer Vluchnyk is preparing a new drone-interceptor to combat Shahed jets. The Zorelit v6 should accelerate to over 400 km/h and climb to an altitude of up to 5 km. The company is also testing autonomous interception and is trying to launch production of its drones in Europe.
The company's founders, Platon Presich and Stepan Radibog, told Defender Media about their plans.
The company's main product was the "Zorelit v4". It was first tested in September 2025, and the first supply contract was closed in December. There are currently six modifications of the interceptor - they differ in cameras, communication systems and the presence of AI. Depending on the version, the range is 46 or 65–70 km.
The team is currently working on the "Zorelit v6" to combat the Shahed jets. The new interceptor should accelerate to over 400 km/h and operate at an altitude of up to 5 km. Due to the more expensive components, one such drone will cost approximately 85,000 UAH.
The Marksman is also moving toward autonomous interception. The Zorlyot AI system can already see an aerial target about 800 meters away and automatically guide the drone to it. Now, developers are testing a system that requires even less operator involvement.
The interceptor is designed to take off on its own, enter high-speed mode, and head toward the target area through integration with SkyMap, a system that collects information from radar and other sensors. After visual detection of the target, automatic homing should be activated. For now, the team is testing autonomous control at the training ground and preparing for combat testing.
Similar systems are already being developed by other Ukrainian manufacturers. In particular, dev.ua wrote about MaXon Systems' technology, which automates 95% of the process of intercepting "Shaheeds".
"Vluchnyk" is also preparing to scale beyond Ukraine. The team is negotiating several joint ventures with European partners. In addition to "Zorelyot", the team is working on several other products in the field of small air defense. Details are not yet disclosed. According to co-founder Platon Presich, one of such solutions "does not exist in Ukraine yet."
Previously, dev.ua wrote about the first Ukrainian jet interceptor Alexa Spatium.
