Ukraine's New Interceptor Drone Downs a Second Jet-Powered Geran-5 in One Day

Ukraine's Security Service (SSU) used a new interceptor drone to shoot down a Russian Geran-5 jet-powered drone for the second time in one day on Saturday, September 19, 2026, President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed. "We have already seen the second successful use today by the Security Service of Ukraine of a new Ukrainian interceptor drone," Zelensky said, per UNN. "The SBU military counterintelligence fighters struck a Russian Geran-5 jet-powered drone. I thank the SBU warriors for their accuracy."

Neither the design nor a name has been made public

Zelensky, Ukrinform, Militarnyi, and UNN all describe the system only as "a new Ukrainian interceptor drone" - none names it or details its airframe, speed, or launch method. SSU released video of the intercept itself, shot through the interceptor's own targeting view, but not footage or specifications of the interceptor drone as a piece of hardware.

Ukraine is testing four competing designs at once, not settling on one

Zelensky said the Armed Forces are field-testing four promising interceptor-drone models, with roughly ten more manufacturers developing their own designs, per Ukrinform. That range reflects Ukraine's response to jet-powered Geran/Shahed variants specifically - a faster target than the propeller-driven Geran-2/Shahed-136 that Ukraine's existing interceptor fleet was built to catch, which Iran's supply chain has kept Russia stocked with in volume.

Two intercepts in one day is a small sample, not a track record yet

Acting SSU Head Oleksandr Poklad briefed Zelensky on the counterintelligence unit's results against jet-powered drones, per Ukrinform. Neither Ukrinform nor UNN gives a location, an intercept altitude, or a count of jet-powered Gerans Russia launched in the same window. Two confirmed hits show the interceptor works against this target type at least twice - not that it has closed the speed gap at scale.

Commander-in-Chief Mykhailo Drapatyi had separately briefed Zelensky on "positive results" from testing interceptors against jet-powered Shaheds before today's strikes, per UNN. This capability had already been in trials, not debuting cold.

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