Don't let its name fool you: Ukraine’s P1-SUN interceptor has downed 5,000 drones

Jetkiller reaches 370 km/h to chase faster Russian Shahed attack drones The original P1-SUN reportedly destroyed more than 5,500 Russian drones already SkyFall plans serial production of the upgraded interceptor beginning in August 2026 Ukrainian drone manufacturer SkyFall has unveiled the P1-SUN Je

<![CDATA[ <article> <ul><li><strong>Jetkiller reaches 370 km/h to chase faster Russian Shahed attack drones</strong></li><li><strong>The original P1-SUN reportedly destroyed more than 5,500 Russian drones already</strong></li><li><strong>SkyFall plans serial production of the upgraded interceptor beginning in August 2026</strong></li></ul><p>Ukrainian drone manufacturer SkyFall has unveiled the P1-SUN Jetkiller, an upgraded interceptor built to counter Russia's jet-powered Shahed attack drones.</p><p>The new model made its public debut at the recent Farnborough International Airshow in the United Kingdom.</p><p>According to <em>Reuters</em>, the Jetkiller reaches a top speed of 370 km/h, up from 310 km/h on the standard P1-SUN.</p><h2 id="a-solution-to-russia-s-jet-powered-shaheds">A solution to Russia's jet-powered Shaheds</h2><p>Russia has begun fitting some Shahed attack drones with jet engines instead of propellers, allowing speeds of up to 500 km/h, which significantly narrows the window Ukrainian air defenses have to detect and intercept incoming drones.</p><p>Yurii Cherevashenko, a senior Ukrainian Air Force commander, told <em>Reuters</em> that 15% to 20% of Russia's current Shahed drones already carry jet engines.</p><p>A SkyFall company representative revealed that development of the P1-SUN Jetkiller began roughly three months before its Farnborough Airshow debut.</p><p>During its combat trials, the Jetkiller reportedly shot down more than a dozen jet-powered Shahed drones before entering serial production.</p><p>The company plans to begin full serial production of the Jetkiller in August 2026, following the completion of its combat testing.</p><p>Ukraine's rapid interceptor development points to mounting pressure to counter increasingly fast Shahed drone variants across the front.</p><p>SkyFall says its current production capacity allows for as many as 50,000 interceptor drones to be built every single month.</p><p>The original P1-SUN, introduced in November 2025, has reportedly destroyed more than 5,500 Russian drones, according to SkyFall.</p><h2 id="a-long-list-of-rival-interceptors">A long list of rival interceptors</h2><p>The threat posed by low-cost attack drones was a major point of discussion throughout this year's entire Farnborough Airshow event, with several companies displaying new counter-drone systems, including European missile maker MBDA and US firm Lockheed Martin.</p><p>Ukrainian developer General Cherry is finalizing a faster version of its Bullet interceptor capable of exceeding 400 km/h in tests.</p><p>The company has set a long-term goal of eventually reaching speeds of up to 500 km/h with its future variants.</p><p>British-Ukrainian company Firebolt Engineering recently confirmed the first known combat interception of a jet-powered Shahed drone using its Griffen system.</p><p>Firebolt says the Griffen, designed as a lower-cost alternative to conventional air defense missiles, can exceed 350 km/h in flight.</p><p>The system is now entering expanded production as Ukrainian and allied firms continue racing toward ever-faster interceptor drone designs overall.</p><p>Air defense officials have not said whether Griffen or Bullet interceptors will reach serial production on a similarly large scale.</p><p>The rapid pace of interceptor development suggests Ukraine views drone speed as essential to countering fast-evolving Russian aerial threats overall.</p><p>Whether production claims from multiple manufacturers hold up under sustained wartime conditions remains difficult to verify independently at this stage.</p><p>Via <a href="https://united24media.com/war-in-ukraine/ukraine-unveils-p1-sun-jetkiller-built-to-hunt-russias-jet-powered-shaheds-20945" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">United24Media</a></p><figure class="van-image-figure inline-layout" data-bordeaux-image-check ><div class='image-full-width-wrapper'><div class='image-widthsetter' style="max-width:676px;"><p class="vanilla-image-block" style="padding-top:31.51%;"><img id="diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78" name="tr-g_news" alt="Google logo on a black background next to text reading 'Click to follow TechRadar'" src="https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/diM9tpwF2Lz85R8q85CT78.jpg" mos="" align="middle" fullscreen="" width="676" height="213" attribution="" endorsement="" class="inline"></p></div></div></figure> </article> ]]>