Head of State Volodymyr Zelenskyy presented a new OCTOPUS interceptor drone, which was created by joint efforts of Ukrainian and British engineers. The official presentation took place during an official visit to the United Kingdom
Points of attention
- The interceptor drone is set to undergo testing in Ukraine, with successful results leading to scaled-up production in both the UK and Ukrainian facilities.
- OCTOPUS is primarily targeting Russian strike UAVs like Shahed-136/'Geran-2' and is seen as a promising development in enhancing air defense capabilities along NATO's eastern border.
OCTOPUS will protect Ukrainian skies
The Office of the President of Ukraine officially confirmed that the process of producing these devices for testing in Ukraine is starting in Britain.
If all tests are successful, then production will be scaled up both in the UK and at Ukrainian enterprises.
Currently, London is set to produce about 2,000 OCTOPUS units at its facilities each month for delivery to Ukraine.
What is important to understand is that the key task of this interceptor is to neutralize Russian strike UAVs, primarily Shahed-136/"Geran-2".
According to the developers, the main advantage of OCTOPUS is its economic feasibility.
First of all, its cost is less than 10% of the price of the targets it is capable of destroying, making it a profitable alternative to expensive anti-aircraft missiles.
Moreover, it is indicated that Keir Starmer's team is considering OCTOPUS as a potential base for a European "drone wall" — a permanent air defense system along NATO's eastern border that would counter Russian targets.
