Ukraine's Largest Drone Maker: Nearly 100,000 a Month, AI Interception Is Just the First Step
Ukrainian drone maker General Cherry produces nearly 100,000 drones a month, with interceptor drones costing about $2,000 to shoot down Russian Shaheds worth over $50,000. AI guidance is battle-tested, but full autonomy remains distant.
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Producing nearly 100,000 a month, capacity still expanding
General Cherry was founded in 2023, initially producing only about 10 drones a month. Now monthly output reaches about 100,000 (exact number confidential). The company works with more than 110 military brigades, and the best units consume over 5,000 drones a month. Capacity is still growing because battlefield consumption is enormous; drones have become expendables.
— Marko KushnirHundreds of drone companies in Ukraine, but only 10-15 at the top
Ukraine may have as many as 2,000 drone companies, but the vast majority are garage-style small workshops. Only 10 to 15 large companies can produce 1,000 to 10,000 a month, and General Cherry claims to be in the top five. This fragmented yet vast industrial ecosystem is the basis for Ukraine's rapid innovation, but it also means fierce competition.
— Marko KushnirAI models developed in-house, deep co-creation with the military
General Cherry's AI guidance system is fully self-developed, backed by a strong R&D department, and works closely with military units on the front lines. They get battlefield feedback daily through mobile teams and iterate products quickly. This 'R&D-combat-feedback' loop lets Ukrainian drone tech adapt to the battlefield fast, rather than relying on external procurement.
— Marko KushnirRocket-shaped FPV originated with Red Bull, not Ukraine
This rocket-shaped FPV drone is not a Ukrainian original; it was first used by Red Bull in 2021 or 2022 for sports events. Ukrainian companies found this shape could reach higher speeds than standard quadcopters, so they adopted and optimized it. This reflects the fast-learning, pragmatic approach of Ukraine's drone industry—not chasing originality, only effectiveness.
— Marko KushnirA $2,000 interceptor drone against a $50,000 Shahed
General Cherry's interceptor drones (like the Bullet) cost about $2,000, yet can shoot down Russian Shahed drones that cost $50,000 to $100,000. This asymmetric cost exchange is key to Ukraine's strategy against Russia's 'saturation attacks'—using cheap drones to exhaust the enemy's expensive assets while avoiding wasting Western-supplied expensive air-defense missiles.
— Marko KushnirInterceptors confirmed to have downed over 5,000 Russian aircraft
General Cherry's tactical interceptor drones (General Trajectory Air) have confirmed over 5,000 Russian drone kills since production began in February 2025, with over 1,000 Russian 'Moniya' drones downed in December alone. The Shahed-interceptor model also entered mass production in December 2025, with confirmed kills near 1,000. These numbers show interceptors have become a significant force in battlefield air defense.
— Marko KushnirAI runs on the device, not in the cloud
General Cherry's AI guidance model runs on the drone's onboard camera chip, not in the cloud. The operator detects the target via radar, launches the drone, and the AI automatically identifies and locks on without human intervention. This on-device AI avoids battlefield communication delays and jamming, which is key to practical viability.
— Marko KushnirFully autonomous weapons are a terrifying future, but AI is inevitable
Marko admits that if drones become fully autonomous, it will be terrifying—killing would no longer require another human, just a robot or drone. Currently they use semi-autonomous AI only on interceptor drones, because adding AI to ordinary FPVs would significantly raise costs, making it better to buy more non-AI drones. But he predicts AI tech will spread quickly and prices will drop, making future battlefields even more brutal.
— Marko KushnirIn their own words · checked verbatim
This drone costs about $2,000. And you can destroy this big deep strike machine with this little drone.
Marko Kushnir17:24
if we have some fully automatic systems, it will be very scary, because you no longer need another person to kill a person. So, it's very scary because all it takes is a robot, all it takes is a drone.
Marko Kushnir27:32
If it is better for our military to buy five regular FPVs without AI, it will be better than buying one FPV, but with AI.
Marko Kushnir28:32
I believe that Ukraine is better and faster at creating something new, some new technologies. But Russia, of course, is better at scaling these technologies.
Marko Kushnir30:41
we showed the world that in modern warfare, it doesn't matter how big it is or how many people you have. If you have technology, very cheap technology, you can fight this war and you can win this war.
Marko Kushnir32:43
Figures
| Military brigades partnered with | over 110 | 13:22 |
| Monthly drone consumption by a single unit | over 5,000 | 13:22 |
| Total drone companies in Ukraine | about 2,000 | 6:08 |
| Large drone companies | 10-15 | 6:08 |
| Interceptor drone cost | about $2,000 | 17:24 |
| Confirmed interceptor kills | over 5,000 | 21:28 |
| Moniya drones downed in December | over 1,000 | 21:28 |
| AI guidance hit rate | over 70% | 25:28 |
Glossary
- Shahed
- Iranian-designed suicide drones used in large numbers by Russia for deep strikes.
- FPV
- First-person-view drones controlled via real-time camera feed, often used for suicide attacks.
- Interceptor drone
- A drone specifically designed to shoot down other drones, at a fraction of the target's cost.
- Moniya
- A cheap Russian reconnaissance/attack drone, downed in large numbers by Ukrainian forces.
How to listen
Founders, investors, and engineers focused on modern warfare, the drone industry, and military AI applications.
The opening company introduction can be skipped; jump to the middle and later sections on AI and costs.