Meet Kyiv’s New Jet-Drone Killer—12+ Sky Sentinel Turrets Are Already on the Hunt

More than 12 automated .50-caliber turrets deployed across Kyiv to counter Russia’s jet-powered attack drones are Ukrainian-made Sky Sentinel systems, Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat confirmed in an exclusive comment to UNITED24 Media.

“These are Sky Sentinel systems. They are already on combat duty and are being used to counter Russian attack drones,” Ihnat told UNITED24 Media. “The systems have already demonstrated results in combat. There are confirmed cases of them successfully engaging and shooting down jet-powered UAVs,” he added.

Ihnat’s confirmation comes after he revealed earlier on October 5 that the automated turrets had already intercepted Russia’s Geran-5 jet-powered drone.

“There have already been shootdowns of even jet-powered UAVs, even the Geran-5, using those same turrets,” Ihnat said during Ukraine’s national telethon.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy first revealed the deployment a day earlier, saying that more than 12 automated “fifties” had already been installed in Kyiv, with another eight set to be deployed across the Kyiv region.

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War in Ukraine

AI-Powered Turret That Hunts Russian Missiles and Drones? Meet Sky Sentinel, Ukraine’s New Air Defense

May 26, 2025 15:32

Sky Sentinel is a Ukrainian-developed automated anti-drone turret that uses machine vision and artificial intelligence to detect, track, and engage aerial targets.

The system combines a heavy machine gun with an automated fire-control module. Once a target is acquired, its optics track the drone while onboard software calculates its speed, trajectory, distance, and the lead required for an interception.

Unlike an interceptor drone, Sky Sentinel does not need to chase its target. It calculates where the UAV will be and fires toward that point, allowing it to engage fast-moving aircraft within its firing envelope.

Previously published specifications indicate that Sky Sentinel can engage aerial targets traveling at speeds of up to around 800 kilometers per hour, placing Russia’s jet-powered attack drones within its theoretical capability.

The Geran-5, now increasingly used by Russian forces, flies substantially faster than conventional propeller-driven Shahed-type drones. Its vulnerability to Sky Sentinel, however, depends on altitude and range.

At higher altitudes, a jet-powered drone may remain beyond the reach of heavy machine-gun fire. But as it descends toward a target or operates at lower altitude, it can enter the turret’s engagement zone.

At that point, the key factor is no longer whether a weapon can catch the drone, but whether it can track it and calculate a firing solution quickly enough. Sky Sentinel’s machine vision continuously follows the target while its software determines the interception point in real time.

The system had already seen combat before its deployment around Kyiv.

UNITED24 raised approximately $3.3 million for 22 Sky Sentinel systems. In August, five were delivered to Ukraine’s 636th Separate Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalion operating in the Sumy region to strengthen defenses against Russian attack drones.

The system had already demonstrated combat effectiveness during earlier deployments, with a Sky Sentinel prototype reportedly destroying multiple Russian Shahed-type drones.

Sky Sentinel is designed as a relatively inexpensive final layer of air defense around critical infrastructure, bridges, military positions, and other high-value sites.

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