Ukrainian Firms Unveil $2,000 ZIRKA Interceptor to Neutralize Shaheds
Updated
Updated · Kyiv Post · Jun 30
Ukrainian Firms Unveil $2,000 ZIRKA Interceptor to Neutralize Shaheds
3 articles · Updated · Kyiv Post · Jun 30
Summary
$2,000 per unit, the new ZIRKA interceptor was unveiled by Vyriy Industries and NOCTIS as a low-cost drone built specifically to destroy Russian Shahed attack drones with automatic detection and terminal guidance.
340 km/h speed, a 30-km radius and up to 20 minutes of flight are meant to let ZIRKA detect, track and neutralize high-speed aerial threats without continuous operator input, drawing on battlefield experience from the Darknode anti-Shahed battalion.
ZIRKA 2.0 is already in development, with automated routing into the target zone, thermal optics able to track enemy drones at 2 km, upgraded communications and a proximity fuse for more autonomous interceptions.
Ukraine is widening that interceptor push: the Defense Ministry recently codified the LITAVR drone, another domestically developed anti-Shahed system that reportedly reaches 350 km/h and 9 km altitude.
The effort targets a growing threat from Shaheds—originally Iranian drones that Russia has upgraded and launched nearly 57,000 times against Ukraine by March 2026, with some attacks now involving up to 700 drones.