Ukraine Expands Drone-Defense Industry with New Octopus Interceptor Line
Ukraine has begun full-scale production of its new Octopus drone interceptor, a domestically developed system designed.
The Gaze reports this, referring to a post by Ukraine’s Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal.
According to Shmyhal, three domestic manufacturers have already received the complete technological package required to build the Octopus platform, while another eleven companies are preparing production lines to join the program in the coming weeks.
Shmyhal emphasized that Octopus is a homegrown Ukrainian technology created by the Armed Forces and validated in real combat.
The system is engineered to operate at night, under electronic jamming, and at extremely low altitudes – conditions under which Shahed drones typically approach their targets.
“Launching Octopus into serial production means we can deliver these interceptors to the front far more quickly and strengthen the protection of Ukraine’s airspace,” the minister said, highlighting the Defense Ministry’s strategy of open cooperation with national manufacturers to accelerate the transition from prototypes to scalable battlefield solutions.
Officials have previously stated that Ukraine aims to reach production rates of up to 1,000 interceptor drones per day, presenting the initiative as a direct response to Russia’s sustained barrage of one-way attack UAVs.
The Octopus system is a compact unmanned interceptor specifically tailored to neutralize Shaheds and similar expendable strike drones.
Its battlefield performance has already proved successful, prompting Ukraine and the United Kingdom to launch a joint production effort. Kyiv has also begun co-production of interceptor drones with the United States, though it remains unclear whether those projects include the Octopus model.
As The Gaze reported earlier, Ukraine will begin exporting surplus domestically produced weapons under a government-controlled program, with export hubs planned in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
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