- Ukraine has begun serial production of the Octopus drone interceptor to counter Shahed drones.
- Defense Minister Shmyhal said the technology was transferred to three manufacturers, with eleven more preparing production.
Ukraine has started serial production of a new domestically developed drone designed to intercept Iranian-made Shahed loitering munitions, according to senior officials from the Ministry of Defense.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal announced the development, stating that the technology has already been transferred to three manufacturers, with eleven more preparing their production lines.
“The Ukrainian drone interceptor of ‘Shaheds’ has been launched into serial production in Ukraine,” Shmyhal said. “The technology has been transferred to the first three manufacturers, and another eleven are preparing their production lines.”
Shmyhal described the Octopus as a homegrown solution validated in combat. “Octopus is a Ukrainian technology for intercepting Shaheds, developed by the Armed Forces and confirmed in battle. It works at night, under jamming, and at low altitudes,” he said.
He emphasized the urgency behind the decision to scale production: “In this way, we are launching interceptors into serial production so they can start defending the Ukrainian sky as soon as possible.”
Shmyhal also noted that the project reflects the Ministry’s broader industrial strategy. “The Ministry of Defense continues to implement a policy of open interaction with Ukrainian manufacturers, creating conditions for the swift transition from innovation to serial combat solutions that strengthen Ukraine’s defense capability.”
Captain Valerii Churkin, head of the Ministry’s Center for Scaling Technological Solutions, called the Octopus initiative a landmark case for Ukraine’s evolving defense-industrial base.
“This is the first example of scaling a combat-grade product under the new framework From Army to Manufacturer,” Churkin said.
He explained that the drone was designed internally by Ukraine’s military. “The drone itself was developed by one of the engineering military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, on the basis of which we created Ukraine’s first-ever military R&D center — this drone is a high-quality indicator of their work,” Churkin said.
According to him, the Octopus reflects a broad network of cooperation: “It is the result of integrated work and interaction among several units and command structures of the Armed Forces, the Ministry of Defense, and international partners.”
Churkin added that the military is withholding details about the unit behind the project. “We are not disclosing the number or name of the military unit that developed the drone for security reasons,” he said.
The Octopus is engineered to intercept low-flying drones operating at night and in GPS-denied environments, conditions that mirror how Shaheds are typically employed by Russian forces. Its performance has reportedly been tested and confirmed in combat deployments.