Japan signs deal to purchase Ukrainian SkyFall interceptor drones

The Ministry of Defence of Japan has signed a contract with Ukrainian company SkyFall for the purchase of interceptor drones. This was announced on 10 October by the country's Defence Minister, Shinjiro Koizumi. Representatives of the Ukrainian company confirmed the fact of the agreement but declined to disclose commercial and technical details of the deal.

Priority on delivery speed

According to Koizumi, the Japanese side aims to ensure the delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles as quickly as possible. The minister specifically emphasised the high level of experience Ukraine has gained in the field of developing and operationally improving defence technologies.

Deal details and previous reports

Currently, the official parties are not disclosing the volume of the order, the cost of the contract, the exact delivery deadlines, or the specific model of interceptor that Japan will receive. Previously, in early October, reports emerged about Japan's intention to purchase Ukrainian drones for testing. However, the minister's current statement indicates that this is already a signed contract for the purchase of SkyFall interceptor drones.

Ukrainian experience for Japanese industry

Shinjiro Koizumi drew attention to the rapid feedback cycle practised by Ukrainian manufacturers. This allows for prompt modifications to the design and characteristics of drones in accordance with the actual needs of the front line. The minister noted that new versions of the devices with improved tactical and technical data can appear every two to three weeks.

He also stated that Japan can adopt the Ukrainian experience in developing the defence industry and strengthening its own production base. The Ukrainian company SkyFall produces P1-SUN series interceptor drones in several configurations, however, information on which specific modification is envisaged by the Japanese contract remains closed.

Context: new capabilities of interceptors

It was previously mentioned that SkyFall presented the high-speed interceptor P1-SUN Jetkiller, designed, among other things, to counter Russian jet-powered Shaheds. According to the developers, the device is capable of reaching a speed of up to 370 km/h, and at the time of its presentation, it already had more than a dozen confirmed interceptions of jet-powered strike drones.