The Fourth Law Develops Autonomous Interceptor Drone Zerov-8

Ukrainian defense company The Fourth Law has developed Zerov-8, an interceptor drone with an autonomous targeting system.

This was reported to Militarnyi by the company.

The drone is equipped with a TFL Anti-Shahed detection module designed for use against enemy air targets such as Shahed.

According to the company, the Zerov-8 interceptor drone is named after of Mykola Zerov, one of the leading figures of the neoclassicists, a poet, translator, and intellectual who was persecuted in the 1930s, arrested, sentenced to prison camps, and shot on November 3, 1937, in the Sandarmokh tract (Karelia).

This continues The Fourth Law’s tradition of naming its products after prominent figures of the ‘Executed Renaissance’ and ‘Shistdesiatnyky’ — Ukrainian intellectuals of the 20th century who were persecuted and destroyed by the Soviet regime.

It is claimed that a distinctive feature of the system is its autonomous detection, which allows it to detect targets at a distance 2-3 times greater than that of similar systems.

The system autonomously detects drones by analyzing the object’s movement, its thermal signature, and other parameters using AI. After detection, the system ‘highlights’ the target and continues to track it steadily, working in parallel and without interfering with the flight.

The module is installed on board together with a thermal imaging camera (typically Kurbas-640 Beta), a flight controller, or a video transmitter. The target detection range is up to 1 km in ideal, high-contrast conditions and up to 300 m in difficult weather conditions.

“The most important part of an autonomous interceptor is not only the moment of impact, but detection itself. We have trained the system to see targets where the human eye or standard sensors fail. This gives us precious time and distance to maneuver, which means the difference between an intercepted Shahed or its impact on the ground,” says Yaroslav Azhniuk, founder and CEO of The Fourth Law.

Technical characteristics of the Zero-8:

• Maximum speed: 326 km/h (interception of targets up to 270 km/h).
• Combat radius: up to 20 km.
• Combat payload: up to 0.5 kg.
• Deployment time: vertical takeoff (lift-off in 30 seconds).
• Optics: day or thermal camera depending on the task.

The interceptor drone is currently undergoing final testing of a full cycle of autonomous interception. It is expected that in the future, the drone will be integrated with external radars for automatic guidance to the interception trajectory.

In February 2026, The Fourth Law attracted a new round of strategic investments, with funding provided by the American technology group Axon.

The company’s founder, Yaroslav Azhniuk, said at the time that the investments will be directed toward R&D. The priority is the development of autonomous solutions to counter drones.