Ukraine’s answer to Russia’s jet-powered Shaheds: a small new missile named Nika, heading into testing

Ukraine has unveiled a new missile, named Nika, designed to intercept Russia's fast and jet-powered Shahed drones, which have been increasingly evading traditional air defenses. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the development during a visit by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz to Kyiv on October 4th. While the Nika missile has yet to be tested, it is one of five interceptor models being evaluated by Ukraine before the winter season.

Russia reportedly produces around 3,000 jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones each month, with these aircraft capable of surpassing the slower, propeller-driven Shaheds. In response, Ukraine is set to deploy approximately 400 units of the new Nika missile by the end of October. Zelenskyy expressed cautious optimism regarding the missile's potential success, stating that the outcome could be positive.

The Ukrainian and German sides have both welcomed the Nika missile, although Zelenskyy cautioned against drawing definitive conclusions at this stage. Additionally, he highlighted the successful test of another system, the German-Ukrainian interceptor Spys. Earlier this year, Ukraine reported that its air defenses had shot down 85-92% of propeller-driven Shaheds, but the interception rate for the more advanced jet-powered drones was estimated at around 50-60%. F-16 fighter jets have also been deployed to further improve Ukraine's interception capabilities.