Ukraine says its small propeller battle drones can now go faster than Formula 1 cars

• Ukraine said one of its interceptor drones had just reached speeds of 400 km/h, making it faster than Formula One cars.

• Mikhail Fedorov said that the speed was achieved with the help of an engine, that is, he uses propellers to fly.

• Kyiv is making its interceptors work faster as Russia develops more advanced Shahed drones.

A small Ukrainian drone designed to pursue and intercept other air systems recently reached speeds of 400 km/h, or 248.5 mph, Kyiv's digital transformation minister said Tuesday.

“400 km/h – this is exactly the speed that an interceptor drone with an engine from Motor-G, a member of Brave1UA, reaches,” Mykhailo Fedorov wrote on social networks. Brave1 is a Ukrainian defense innovation platform.

That speed means the interceptor could break the official Formula One racing speed record set by Valtteri Bottas in 2016 at 231.46 mph.

The speed of 248.5 mph also allows the drone to almost match the fastest high-speed trains in the world. For example, the Shanghai Maglev reached speeds of 280 mph during testing in October, but is operated at 186 mph for commercial purposes.

AND motor interceptor will do this with propellers rather than jet engines or the high-thrust combustion systems that propel other vehicles to extreme speeds. Because interceptor drones are designed to destroy other drones at a low cost, Ukrainian manufacturers typically price them below $6,000 apiece.

It's another sign of how quickly the war is transforming the local weapons industry, which has turned amateur drones into some of the fastest and cheapest aircraft on the battlefield. Four months ago, another Ukrainian interceptor caught everyone's attention. reaching 195 mph in flight.

Ukraine is now increasing its ambitions for export such military technologiessaying its locally produced missiles, drones and anti-aircraft systems have been tried and tested against Russia.

A video posted by Fedorov on Tuesday said producing drone engines in Ukraine “seemed impossible” just two years ago, but Motor-G now produces 100,000 engines a month.

“Today, more and more drones fly with Ukrainian-made engines,” the minister wrote.

Kyiv is focusing on increasing the speed of its interceptors as Russia develops its own versions of interceptor missiles. Iranian Shahedwhich are long-range attack drones.

The most commonly used models of these loitering munitions fly at speeds of approximately 115 to 180 mph and are often fired in large numbers to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses. Russian tactics have created an urgent need for Ukraine to develop cheap ways to kill suicide bombers, which has led to the emergence of interceptor drones.

However, it has been repeatedly reported that Moscow is experimenting with smaller waves of the new Shahed jets, which are believed to reach speeds of 230 mph.

Their appearance earlier this year initially raised concerns in Ukraine that they would be too fast to be caught by interceptors, although recent reports and military footage suggest Ukrainian manufacturers have managed to close the gap.

For example, one Shahed aircraft with a jet engine was filmed. Ukrainian interceptor approached him from behind at the end of November.

Read the original article at Business Insider