Kyiv/London, 15 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Ukraine is accelerating efforts to develop new interceptor drones to counter Russia’s increasingly powerful jet-powered attack drones, after a recent military test exposed major challenges in controlling the faster aircraft. In early July, Ukraine’s military invited a large group of drone manufacturers to test a new generation of interceptors designed to counter Russian jet-powered attack drones, but the exercise did not go as planned, according to two sources familiar with the test. Several interceptor drones proved difficult to control at speeds sometimes exceeding 400 kilometres per hour, while some crashed into nearby fields and forests, the sources said. The exercise highlighted the challenges Ukraine faces as it heads into another winter without sufficient Western air-defence systems to counter Russian ballistic missiles and without a clear solution to Moscow’s faster and more powerful drones. According to Ukrainian military data reviewed by Reuters, Russia increased its use of jet-powered drones approximately sixfold over a three-month period this summer. Yuriy Cherevashenko, a deputy commander of Ukraine’s air force, acknowledged the difficulties involved in developing faster interceptor drones but said Ukraine was close to deploying a range of mass-produced, low-cost systems. He said he was confident that Ukraine would soon have a new class of weapons capable of effectively countering jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).