The Ukrainian defence companies NOCTIS and Vyriy Industries have unveiled a new interceptor drone, the ZIRKA, which is capable of detecting and destroying Russian attack UAVs. The cost of a single drone is just $2000.
- ZIRKA — a new interceptor drone designed to destroy Russian UAVs.
- The drone’s maximum speed exceeds 340 km/h.
- The price of a single drone is up to $2000 — the lowest on the market.
- ZIRKA is equipped with artificial intelligence for automatic target acquisition.
- A version of ZIRKA 2.0 with improved performance is currently being developed.
The innovative ZIRKA interceptor drone
A presentation of the new product took place in Ukraine the ZIRKA interceptor drone, developed by NOCTIS and Vyriy Industries. This aerial platform is designed to detect and destroy Russian attack drones, in particular «Shahed»-type kamikaze drones. ZIRKA’s main objective is to reduce the use of expensive missiles from traditional air defence systems, which is of the utmost importance in wartime.
A team of Ukrainian engineers and software developers, working alongside military specialists from the Darknode anti-drone battalion of the 412th Nemesis Unmanned Systems Brigade, has developed this drone. NOCTIS is responsible for interception technology, software and automation, whilst Vyriy Industries acts as an investor and partner in scaling up production.
Technical specifications of ZIRKA
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Maximum speed: over 340 km/h (this makes it easy to catch up with and intercept even high-speed drones);
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Operating flight altitude: to 6 km;
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Operating range (radius of action): to 30 km;
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Time spent in the air: to 20 minutes.
The key technological feature of ZIRKA is its artificial intelligence system, which enables automatic target detection and machine-assisted guidance. The operator simply needs to fly the drone into visual contact with the enemy target, after which the system automatically locks onto the target and guides the drone to engage it.
Accessibility and plans for the future
The cost of a single ZIRKA interceptor is up to $2000, which is a record-low price on the global market amongst similar platforms. Oleksiy Babenko, CEO of Vyriy Industries, emphasised the importance of investing in the development of defence technologies: “The more teams like this and high-quality products there are, the greater the chances of winning this technological race.”.
The developers are already working on a new version — ZIRKA 2.0. The updated version will feature automatic guidance to the target area, improved thermal imaging optics for detecting enemy UAVs at ranges of up to 2 km even at night, and a system for the automatic remote detonation of the warhead near the target. This will make interception as autonomous and safe as possible for Ukrainian crews.
