The concept is intended as a cheaper alternative to air-to-air missiles, relying instead on smaller, cheaper interceptor drones launched from the air.
by Kyiv Post
April 24, 2026
Ukraine has begun deploying a modified An-28 aircraft as an airborne platform to launch interceptor drones designed to destroy Russian Shahed-type attack drones, according to newly released footage.
Several P1-SUN interceptor drones, developed by Ukrainian company SkyFall, have been air-launched directly from the aircraft to engage the Russian drones before they reach their destinations.
Video published by operator aero.tim on Instagram shows the An-28 equipped with multiple external mounts – at least three per wing – allowing it to carry up to six interceptor drones.
The aircraft has also been fitted with an optical targeting system to detect Russian drones in flight.
In the footage, the drones are launched from the An-28 after a Russian drone is detected and then guided toward it using an onboard camera similar to a first-person view (FPV) system, intercepting the target by detonating on impact.
The concept is intended as a cheaper alternative to air-to-air missiles, relying instead on smaller, lower-cost interceptor drones launched from the air. Launching interceptor drones from aerial platforms, rather than ground-based systems, also means greater flexibility, reducing flight times and improving target tracking as Russian forces continuously adjust drone flight paths.
Alongside Ukrainian systems, engineers have also tested other interceptor platforms during training flights, including US-made Merops drones currently trialed in Ukraine.
Ukrainian combat veterans have begun training German troops, sharing frontline experience in drone warfare and modern combat as Berlin ramps up preparations for a potential conflict with Russia.
Originally developed by the Antonov Design Bureau and produced in Poland, the An-28 is a light twin-engine transport aircraft typically used for short-haul passenger and cargo flights, now repurposed for aerial drone interception missions.
The An-28’s role as a drone-hunting platform was first revealed in February, when a French TV crew accompanied a Ukrainian team hunting Russian drones aboard an An-28 cargo plane armed with M134 miniguns.
The TF1 crew, which accompanied a four-person team on a night sortie on an unspecified date, reported that the men had volunteered their service to the military as civilians and were called in to help intercept drones after they were spotted in the skies.
In those operations, ground controllers direct the aircraft toward drone activity, after which the crew visually identifies targets in night conditions.
Equipping Shahed drones with anti-air missiles does not appear to be part of serial production, but isolated, officially confirmed reports have documented improvised solutions, including Soviet R60 air-to-air missiles found on downed drones and sightings of shoulder-fired air-defense launchers incorporated onto the drones.
The An-28, reported by TF1, is part of Ukraine’s broader effort to find cost-effective ways to counter threats from low-cost kamikaze drones.
Given the cost disparity between $20,000 Shahed-style drones and US Patriot missiles costing up to $7 million, Ukraine has pledged to scale up low-cost interceptor drones to counter the threat, such as the OCTOPUS drones developed and produced jointly with the UK.
Equipping An-28 with miniguns would be another approach being pursued, but the overall cost against major Russian attacks remains high – on Jan. 20, President Volodymyr Zelensky said it cost Kyiv nearly $100 million to fend off an overnight attack the same day.