Mavic interceptor drones are being deployed in Ukraine

The Ukrainian military has begun shooting down the Russian reconnaissance quadcopters over the battlefield with the help of net launchers. Footage of the interception of Russian drones was posted on the Ptashka Drones website. Following the tactical reconnaissance drones, the Ukrainian military is increasingly actively hunting for the small reconnaissance quadcopters.

Their interception is no less important, as they are used by enemy infantry to adjust fire, reconnaissance, and drop free-fall bombs. The small drones are being captured with the use of the same drones that carry the net guns. One of the manufacturers of such equipment is the Ukrainian company Ptashka Drones, which supplies its modular systems to the military.

Their systems allow for the reusability of the interceptor, requiring only a hanging module with a net. The net can be mounted on drones such as Mavic, Autel, or FPV drones commonly used by the military. The shot netting tangles the blades of the drone's motors, making it unable to fly. After that, the drone can fall or be evacuated in a suspended state with the help of an interceptor drone.

According to the developers, the reusability of the interceptor drones has minimized the cost per interception to UAH 1200, the cost of one charge cartridge. The suspended net weighs only 373 grams, which is significantly less than the weight of one infantry grenade and allows it to be installed on virtually any drone.

A net launcher of the Ukrainian company Ptashka Drones

Based on this technology, Ukrainian designers are also developing an infantry single-shot interceptor pistol, which is positioned as a self-defense weapon against attacking FPV drones.

"It is more difficult than it sounds, because we are limited by the technical capabilities of this small device. We are always looking for a balance between power, range, sail, recoil, and structural strength," the Ptashka drones representatives explain. Currently, it is in the final stages of development and is being tested, after which it will be handed over to the military for trial use.

Earlier, Militarnyi reported that the company's developers had presented their own FPV strike drone homing based on a machine vision system.