What’s better than a drone to fight itself? The General Chereshnya AIR interceptor drone proved to be the most effective model for neutralizing Russian drones in October, according to calculations revealed by the Ukrainian manufacturer on Tuesday.
“Our flagship drone, the General Cherry AIR, remained the No. 1 interceptor on the front lines in terms of the number of enemy targets struck in October,” explained its manufacturer in a press release published on Facebook. We don’t stop. Looking for new solutions every day! »
It detects targets more than one kilometer away
According to official counts, General Chereshnya AIR, designed by Ukrainian defense ecosystem NAUDI, has confirmed 548 drone neutralizations during the month of October. Which makes it one of the key elements of the country’s air defense system.
Designed to intercept reconnaissance drones and disrupt Russian intelligence systems, the device is also capable of adapting to Shahed kamikaze drones, or Gerbera decoys, which are often used by Moscow to deceive Ukraine’s defenses.
It only has digital communications and a daylight camera for a target detection range of 1.5 km. With a range of 22 km and a maximum altitude of 5 km, it must take off close to the front line to be effective. This drone carries a payload of 1.2 kg and travels at a speed of 200 km/h with a maximum flight time of 35 minutes to neutralize enemy drones.
Less than 1,000 euros
However, the General Chereshnya AIR remains a low-cost drone, as it is sold on the manufacturer’s website for 47,900 Ukrainian Hryvnia, or less than 1,000 euros.
Its extraordinary capabilities at an affordable price are still limited considering the recent development of the Russian Shahed drone, otherwise called “Geran”. To keep up with the latest developments, the General Chereshnya company recently started mass production of its second model, the Bullet. Specially designed to fight the Shahed-136, this version is capable of speeds up to 309 km/h. The price has not been published.
