Ukraine has begun launching interceptor drones from a modified Antonov An-28 turboprop in combat operations against Russian Shahed attack drones, extending the aircraft’s role from direct-fire platform to airborne carrier. Footage posted April 23 by Ukrainian pilot Tymur Fatkullin shows P1-SUN interceptors, developed by Ukrainian firm Skyfall, being launched individually from pylons under the An-28’s wings and destroying Shaheds in flight.
The aircraft appears configured with at least three mounting points per wing, allowing up to six interceptors per sortie. An onboard optical system enables crews to visually detect targets before launch. Wild Hornets, a separate Ukrainian drone developer, also confirmed its Sting interceptor had been launched from an An-28 during a combat mission, and separately claimed the world’s first interceptor combat launch from an uncrewed surface vessel.
Footage also shows testing of the U.S.-made Merops system, which fired its AS-3 Surveyor winged interceptor from the An-28 during a training mission — an indication that American C-UAS technology is being actively evaluated for airborne launch integration in the Ukrainian theater.
The airborne platform offers meaningful tactical advantages over ground-based interceptor teams: faster positioning to intercept incoming drones, launch velocity augmentation from the aircraft’s own airspeed, and short-takeoff-and-landing capability that removes the need for conventional airstrips. Ukraine has previously used the An-28 to engage Shaheds with an M134 Minigun fired from a side door, with crews reporting more than 70 kills using that method.
