Tytan Interceptor UAV being used in combat by Ukraine, says manufacturer

Image of the Tytan Interceptor UAV. (Tytan Technologies)

German autonomous systems manufacturer Tytan Technologies says its Interceptor unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) is being used on the battlefield in Ukraine. The Tytan Interceptor was developed to combat Shahed-136 (called by Russia as Geran-2) UAVs, which Russian forces are using to attack Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.

“We specifically designed our Interceptor drone [UAV] to counter the Shahed drones and similar ones. Jamming isn't always successful, so physically destroying them is the most efficient way.” Batuhan Yumurtaci, co-founder of Tytan Technologies, told Janes in an interview on 9 January. The UAV is designed to strike the Iranian-designed Shaheds at high speeds.

Tytan Interceptor

Tytan said its Interceptor UAV is capable of reaching up to 300 km/h, has a range of 15–20 km, and can carry a payload of up to 1 kg.

The UAV's artificial intelligence (AI) is used for threat detection, tracking, and classification, said Yumurtaci, adding that “the detection and navigation happen onboard”. He went on to stress that human operators are in control of making critical decisions.

The company is also developing the UAV's dogfighting capability against other UAVs. The manufacturer told Janes the Interceptor drone is “capable of flying tight turns and often carrying out high- g manoeuvring”.

“One of our other capabilities is also avoidance manoeuvres but we are in the process of improving and developing this further. We are also testing this capability,” Yumurtaci said.

“Right now, we have to do add-ons to counter new problems and tackle them [the] next time. This is how it is in the military. Technically speaking, there's never a so-called ‘ready product',” Balazs Nagy, CEO and co-founder of Tytan Technologies, told Janes