It was built to shield Russian crops from hail. Now it’s being pitched as a drone interceptor

Russia unveiled a drone interceptor derived from a civilian anti-hail rocket, the Alazan, at a weapons exhibition visited by President Vladimir Putin on October 2. The Alazan-2M or Alazan-6 series interceptor, which Militarnyi, a Russian arms analyst, estimates could cost up to $12,000 each, was shown at the Chebarkul training range in the Urals. Ukraine has been consistently sending hundreds of drones into Russian airspace, according to Moscow's own figures.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported intercepting nearly 900 drones between October 1 and 6. However, Russia's missile-based air defense systems were not originally designed to counter swarms of low-flying drones. In May, Ukrainian intelligence sources claimed Russia had bolstered its defenses by adding four regiments, 24 battalions, and 162 batteries to specifically target Ukrainian strike drones. Militarnyi is capitalizing on this trend by repurposing the Alazan for drone intercepting purposes.

The interceptor is essentially a modified version of the Alazan-2M or Alazan-6 series, with a fragmentation warhead replacing its civilian reagent. In its civilian role, the rocket can reach a distance of 10 km, ascend up to 8 km, and carry a 0.5 kg reagent payload. The front portion of the interceptor is designed with a steering assembly, comprising four cruciform deflector fins and a seeker or fuze, while the rear features folding stabilizers and a solid-fuel motor nozzle mounted on a metal cradle.

Despite the interceptor being featured in Kremlin's exhibition, it was not explicitly mentioned in the official account. Kremlin-owned television channel Russia 1 aired footage of the exhibit, and the Kremlin's press agency RIA published associated photos.