Sting (drone)

The Sting is a Ukrainian drone-intercepting loitering munition developed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Description

The Sting was developed by the Wild Hornets group for the purpose of intercepting the large number of Shahed drones that Russia use to attack Ukrainian cities and that can overwhelm other types of air defenses.
Built with a 3D printed, aerodynamic, bullet-shaped frame and propelled by four rotors, the Sting can reach flight speeds of and cruise at an altitude of. It uses Kurbas thermal imaging cameras from Odd Systems. Sting has an engagement range of up to 25 kilometers.
Cost estimates for a Sting is around $2,100; much cheaper than the estimated $35,000 cost of a Shahed drone.

Operational history

In May 2025, the Wild Hornets published thermal imaging footage from a Sting interceptor as it downed a Shahed drone, "marking a breakthrough in frontline drone defense".
On 1 August 2025 the supplier of the thermal cameras for the Sting claimed that it had intercepted "dozens of Iranian-Russian drones".
In October 2025 a Ukrainian military delegation visited Denmark and successfully demonstrated the Sting against a QinetiQ Banshee target drone.
As per October 2025, the Sting interceptor drones have destroyed over 1,000 enemy UAVs.
In December 2025, the Sting became the first interceptor to down the Russian Geran-3, a jet-powered variant of the Shahed drone.
As per December 2025, the Sting have destroyed over 3,000 Geran drones.