Wild Hornets, a volunteer organization that produces FPV drones for the Ukrainian military, released a video on 11/8 showcasing the Sting interceptor drone in a test flight over an undisclosed open field.
Most of the technical specifications on the display were blurred, except for the drone's speed. The video showed the Sting reaching 315 km/h, significantly faster than the typical 60 km/h of standard FPV drones. "The Sting was developed specifically to intercept Shahed-type suicide drones. It is now even more powerful and much faster", Wild Hornets stated.
Test flight of the Sting drone in a video posted on 11/8. Video: Wild Hornets
Ukrainian media cautioned that the figures provided by Wild Hornets are unverified, as is the duration for which the Sting can maintain this speed. However, Ukrainian military experts confirm that the Sting is among the fastest armed FPV drones developed to date.
The original version of the Sting, which appeared in late 2024, had a speed of approximately 160 km/h. Considered a rising star in the Ukrainian drone industry, it has been deployed to the front lines, though the exact scale of deployment remains unclear. Wild Hornets reported that each drone costs around 2,500 USD and they have successfully intercepted nearly 100 Geran-2 aircraft.
Ukraine has recently ramped up production and upgrades of interceptor drones to counter Russia's Geran-2 suicide drones. Early versions of the Geran-2 had speeds of around 185 km/h. However, the Russian military has recently started deploying the Geran-3, which uses a turbojet engine and has a cruising speed of 400-500 km/h, reaching over 800 km/h when diving towards its target.
The number of Geran drones deployed by Russia in each attack wave has increased significantly. They are often launched before or in conjunction with ballistic and cruise missiles, overwhelming Ukrainian air defenses and allowing more weapons to penetrate.
The drones now also fly more erratically and at higher altitudes, beyond the effective range of mobile air defense units equipped with machine guns, neutralizing one of Ukraine's cost-effective defense strategies.
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Ukraine's Sting interceptor drone. Image: Wild Hornets |
Ukraine's Sting interceptor drone. Image: Wild Hornets
Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin stated last month that Russia's drone production has tripled its target, believed to be referring to the production plan for long-range UAVs like the Geran and smaller drone models.
Major Robert Brovdi, commander of the Ukrainian Drone Forces, warned in early July that Ukraine could face over 1,000 Geran-2 drones daily in the future.
Pham Giang (According to Business Insider)
