Ukrainian Air Defense Units Shoot Down Russian Klin Kamikaze Drone for First Time

Service members of Ukraine’s 118th Separate Mechanized Brigade, part of the 17th Army Corps, used an interceptor drone to shoot down a Russian Klin kamikaze drone in the Orikhiv direction.

The brigade said the Klin is a Shahed-type drone equipped with an artificial intelligence-based guidance system.

It incorporates elements of a canard layout, including a forward horizontal stabilizer.

The Ukrainian-made General Cherry AIR drone, developed by General Cherry, was used for the interception.

According to the brigade, this is the first confirmed interception of this type of drone, which Russian forces introduced about four months ago.

Characteristics of the Klin UAV

The UAV can independently detect and strike targets at a range of up to 120 km using a repeater, or operate as an “air minefield,” loitering for around 80 minutes.

The drone has a takeoff weight of 13.5 kg and a flight speed ranging from 108 to 300 km/h.

The fuselage length is 1.6 meters and the wingspan is 1.9 meters. The maximum flight altitude is up to 2 km.

The warhead weighs 5 kg. The UAV is equipped with an airburst system and can carry two types of warheads: shaped-charge and high-explosive.

Photos published in October 2025 indicate that some components of the UAV, including the optical module, were produced using 3D printing technology.

In January, Ukrainian forces also used an interceptor drone to destroy a Russian Shtorm reconnaissance UAV.

Little publicly available information exists about this relatively new Russian reconnaissance drone.