Ukraine has presented a new anti-aircraft defense system that can shoot different models of air-to-air missiles from the groundoriginally designed for fighter aircraft. Is called Shershen‘hornet’ in Ukrainian, and seeks to give greater flexibility to forces that suffer a serious shortage of interceptors while Russia intensifies its attacks with drones and missiles.
The National Association of Defense Industries of Ukraine He showed it this week at the fair MSPO of Kielcein Polandheld from September 8 to 11. According to The War Zone, the specimen on display is the second operational prototype and its configuration is close to that planned for production.
Each Shershen battery combines a command and control vehicle Perun with a surveillance radar Athena and four launchers Borei. Its open architecture allows integrate missiles from different manufacturers and also surveillance and guidance radars from third partiesaccording to the consortium Shershen Groupresponsible for its development.
At the ongoing MSPO-2026 defense and industrial exhibition in Poland, the launcher of the Ukrainian Shershen air defense system, developed by Radionix, has been presented for the first time, along with the R-120K surface-to-air guided missile specially developed for it (second… pic.twitter.com/5RfZWHWuxl
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱 🦩🇬🇪🇺🇦🇺🇲🇬🇷 (@TheDeadDistrict) September 9, 2026
Compatible missiles include R-27 and R-73 of Soviet origin, the AIM-9 Sidewinder American and the AIM-132 ASRAAM British. It is also being studied to incorporate the R-60 Soviet. Among these models there are versions with semi-active radar guidance and others that use an infrared seeker to track the target’s heat.
The Athena radar can detect targets at a distance of up to 85 kilometersaccording to the announced benefits. The system is designed to intercept aircraft, cruise missiles and drones at a maximum of 25 kilometers and 10,000 meters altitudealthough these figures vary greatly depending on the interceptor used. With radar-guided missiles it could direct up to six simultaneously.
The developer assures that the second prototype has completed initial testing with successful interceptions. However, the advertised benefits have not been independently verified and the conditions under which they were obtained are unknown.
The idea of using missiles from different sources has precedents in Ukrainian programs FrankenSAMdeveloped with American support. Its name combines Frankenstein with the English acronym for surface-to-air missile, Surface to Air Missile, and describes solutions that unite equipment from different systems, such as Soviet launchers and radars with Western missiles.
Among the precedents are also the systems Bear modified to shoot R-73 instead of their original interceptors. United Kingdom and Denmark They have also collaborated with Ukraine in Gravehawkan anti-aircraft defense installed in a container that uses adapted air-to-air missiles.
Shershen’s main contribution consists of design from the beginning a system prepared to accept several interceptors. Sharing launchers and control interface allows you to choose between different models depending on available stock, something especially relevant when both old Soviet missiles and those supplied by the West are in short supply.
One of the exposed launchers also wore a Ukrainian R-120Ka missile with a radar seeker and designed to be able be used as both air-to-air and ground-to-air which is still in development. Its future incorporation could reduce dependence on foreign reserves, although work is still being done on its engine and its final performance is not clear or when it can be produced..