Czech company TRL Drones introduced autonomous interceptor drones to combat Shaheds

The Czech company TRL Drones has developed two types of autonomous interceptor drones designed to counter Shahed-type strike drones, reports Militarnyi. The new drones can take off, fly to the target and destroy it independently, which significantly increases the effectiveness of combating air threats.

At the international IDET exhibition, the company presented two versions of drones: a "small" one with an electric motor used to intercept drones, and a "large" one with a jet engine capable of attacking even helicopters and ground targets.

The "small" drone weighs 2.5 kg, has a speed of up to 250 km/h and a flight range of 60 km. It carries a 1 kg payload and intercepts a target at an altitude of up to 2.5 km by ramming. If the attack is unsuccessful, the drone returns to base.

The "large" jet interceptor has a length of 1 m, a wingspan of 1.74 m, a speed of 450 km/h and a range of 200 km. It can carry up to 10 kg of payload and is launched using an electric catapult.

Both drones are capable of operating without a GPS signal, using inertial and optical navigation, which makes them effective even in conditions of electronic warfare. The complete autonomy of these drones, combined with the use of radar for detection and targeting, makes this drone complex a full-fledged air defense complex, which allows you to fight groups of strike drones that are designed to overwhelm the air defense system.

According to a representative of TRL Drones, the cost of a "small" drone is thousands of dollars, and a "large" one is tens of thousands. The company also plans to test these drones in Ukraine.

It was previously reported that the Ukrainian Armed Forces' Unmanned Systems Forces began systematically shooting down Russian Shahed drones with interceptor drones. According to the SBS, as of May 18, fighters of the Darknode unit of the 412th Nemesis Regiment successfully destroyed 100 enemy strike UAVs, including 76 Shaheds and 24 Gerbers.

Unmanned systems forces are actively scaling this direction because this approach is cost-effective, as the cost of an air defense missile can reach $1 million, while an interceptor drone costs about $5,000.