Ukrainian aviation expert Kostiantyn Kryvolap has outlined the development of a new, inexpensive missile for drone defense on the 24 Kanal broadcaster. The background is the growing number of Shahed and Geran drones, whose interception with expensive long-range missiles is becoming increasingly difficult and uneconomical.
According to Kryvolap, it is about a fundamental shift in air defense logic: instead of expensive long-range missiles, shorter, simpler, and significantly cheaper interception systems are to be used. These would be designed for rapid deployment at short range and specifically optimized against drones like Shahed and Geran.
As an example, the expert cited the Mark-1, which became known in 2024 and was to be developed by an Estonian company together with Ukrainian partners. It is a small missile with a caliber of 75 millimeters, a length of about 80 centimeters, infrared seeker, and a range of about seven to eight kilometers – under certain conditions up to ten kilometers. Originally, production of thousands of units was planned; later it was said that manufacturing could be relocated to Europe. Since then, the project has not been publicly discussed.
Kryvolap emphasized that the idea of a small, easily launchable missile with infrared guidance fits exactly into the concept of the Ukrainian “drone wall.” The goal is to intercept small aerial targets either with drones or with light missiles, instead of using much more expensive weapons needed for more complex threats.
Source: 24tv.ua
