Ukraine Develops Low-Cost Missiles to Counter Russian Drones
Ukraine is developing surface-to-air missiles costing under $20,000 to provide a sustainable defense against Russian Shahed and Geran drone fleets.
The Government of Ukraine is developing low-cost surface-to-air missiles to counter Russian Shahed and Geran drone fleets. Managed by the Brave1 startup incubator, the program mandates a price cap of $20,000 per missile, with some prototypes costing as little as $10,000. This initiative seeks a sustainable alternative to expensive systems such as the U.S.-made Stinger and the AIM-9 Sidewinder, the latter of which can cost $500,000 per shot.
The program responds to the deployment of jet-powered Geran-3 drones by Russia, which fly too fast for human gun crews and interceptor drones to engage. Andrii Hrytseniuk, head of Brave1, noted that these new missiles are significantly cheaper than the drones they are designed to destroy.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that results from the small missile program would be visible in the second half of October 2026. Brave1 is currently preparing to deploy two of the participating companies into combat to test the systems in active conflict zones.
