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Ukrainian Zorelit v5 Drone Completes Testing to Intercept Jet-Powered Targets. Here is What We Know
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Ukrainian defense company Vluchnyk announced on September 21 that it had completed internal testing of its Zorelit v5 interceptor drone, developed to counter high-speed aerial targets, including jet-powered strike UAVs.
The company disclosed the results to Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi, saying the drone had confirmed its declared performance characteristics during a full cycle of internal trials.
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“Zorelit v5 has passed a full cycle of testing and is ready for delivery to the troops,” Stepan Radibog, director of Vluchnyk, told Militarnyi. “We are open to direct contracts with military units already today.”
The v5 has not yet completed codification. Vluchnyk said the interceptor would become available through Ukraine’s e-Points procurement system after the process is completed.
According to specifications provided by the manufacturer, the interceptor is designed to engage reconnaissance drones along their flight routes, Russian Gerbera and Geran-2 strike and decoy drones, and high-speed jet-powered Geran-3 and Geran-4 UAVs.
Vluchnyk said the system is intended to intercept targets traveling at cruising speeds of 300 to 350 kilometers per hour.
Zorelit v5 is a high-speed interceptor developed from the earlier Zorelit v4 and designed to engage aerial targets directly along their flight path.
The manufacturer claims a maximum speed of 416 kilometers per hour and a range of up to 47 kilometers on a single charge. At a cruising speed of around 200 kilometers per hour, the drone can remain airborne for approximately 17 minutes.
It is designed to carry a warhead weighing between 300 and 600 grams.
The developer said the interceptor can optionally be equipped with an AI-based system for automatic target detection and highlighting, as well as automatic terminal guidance during the final stage of interception.
The drone can also be integrated with the SkyMap system, which guides it toward the target area and calculates an optimal interception trajectory while accounting for remaining battery charge.
According to the manufacturer, the system can also support remote drone control and video transmission over the internet.
The standard configuration includes a movable camera mechanism, an ELRS control system with a selectable operating frequency band, a 2.5-watt video transmitter, and a warhead initiation board equipped with remote detonation and a physical safety pin.
Vluchnyk said the new interceptor incorporates technical solutions tested on the Zorelit v4. According to the company, the earlier version has already seen successful combat use, has been accepted into service, and has received a NATO Stock Number, or NSN.
Before delivery, every manufactured interceptor undergoes a control test flight. Vluchnyk said it retains video footage of each test and marks individual airframes to allow specific builds and their components to be traced.
Vluchnyk's announcement fits a wider Ukrainian push to field fast, low-cost interceptors against Russia's expanding drone fleet. In early August, UV Military Cluster unveiled the Skazhenyi interceptor, a vertical-takeoff drone clocked at up to 365 kilometers per hour with a 45-kilometer range and a stated capacity of 5,000 units a month.
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