‘Thousands Ready This Year’: Ukraine to Get SPYS Interceptors

Thousands of new SPYS interceptor drones designed to destroy Russia’s jet-powered attack UAVs are ready for delivery to Ukraine this year, German defense company Quantum Systems said. The company plans to provide tens of thousands of the interceptors under a German-financed program, Quantum Systems Vice President Matthias Lehna said during a press briefing in Berlin on Wednesday, Oct. 7, according to Ukrinform.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “Over the weekend, an LOI [letter of intent] was signed to secure a package of tens of thousands of SPYS, which are capable of intercepting jet-powered drones,” Lehna said. Asked when the first systems could reach Ukraine, he replied: “Thousands of units are ready for delivery this year.” A letter of intent outlines the planned cooperation but does not constitute a final procurement contract. Built to hunt Russia’s jet-powered drones SPYS was jointly developed by Quantum Systems and Ukrainian manufacturer WIY Drones through their joint venture, Quantum WIY Industries. The interceptor was created to counter fast, maneuvering aerial targets, including Russia’s Geran-4 and Geran-5 jet-powered attack drones. According to WIY Drones, SPYS can reach a maximum speed of 480 kilometers per hour and has a cruising speed of 200 to 250 kph. It has a tactical radius of 15 kilometers, a maximum flight distance of 30 kilometers and an operating altitude of up to 4,000 meters. Its stated maximum flight duration is 10 minutes. Other Topics of Interest Poland Ends Russian Drone Probe After Failing to Identify Perpetrator Prosecutors cleared the military’s response but left key details classified. The system supports automatic takeoff, deployment toward the intercept zone and AI-assisted terminal guidance. It can be equipped with optical (daylight) or thermal cameras and integrated with radars and other sources of targeting data. Its developers say the interceptor is intended to protect military positions, mobile units and critical infrastructure. SPYS incorporates lessons from the combat use of STRILA, an earlier interceptor produced by WIY and Quantum Systems. Production could reach thousands per month Quantum Systems plans to use production capacity already established for STRILA to accelerate the manufacture of SPYS. “And I am talking about several thousand per month,” Lehna said when discussing potential production volumes. In March, Quantum Systems announced that Ukraine’s Security and Defense Forces had tasked it with providing 15,000 STRILA interceptors to the National Guard. The SPYS package is a separate project focused on the faster jet-powered threat. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced financing for several tens of thousands of Quantum Systems interceptors during his visit to Kyiv on Sunday, Oct. 4. The drones will be manufactured in Ukraine as part of Germany’s military assistance package for the winter of 2026-2027, the company said. Merz’s visit produced 15 German-Ukrainian agreements worth more than €8.5 billion, covering air defense, drones, missiles and energy protection. “Ukraine needs interceptor drones at industrial scale,” Quantum Systems co-CEO Sven Kruck said. “By expanding production in Ukraine, we can respond faster to the immediate threat.” Ukraine combines interceptors with F-16s Lehna said Ukraine’s success rate against Russian jet-powered drones had risen from initially low levels to more than 30 percent, with some recent attacks showing intercept rates above 50 percent. He cautioned that the improvement did not result from drone interceptors alone. Ukraine combines multiple systems, including electronic warfare, ground-based defenses, interceptor drones and F-16 fighter aircraft, which have increasingly been used against the faster Russian UAVs. Kyiv is separately seeking large quantities of 20-millimeter ammunition for its F-16s, allowing pilots to use their onboard cannons against drones instead of expending scarce and expensive air-to-air missiles. Russia launched almost 3,500 jet-powered drones against Ukraine in September, according to Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat. The growing number of fast drones has forced Ukraine and its partners to develop cheaper interception methods that can be produced and deployed on a scale comparable to Russia’s expanding attacks. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 90% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.