TSAMTO, April 8th. The Russian Foreign Ministry protested to the Japanese Ambassador in Moscow, Akira Muto, in connection with the conclusion of an agreement between a Japanese company and a Ukrainian developer of combat UAVs.
According to the Foreign Ministry, we are talking about a strategic partnership between the Japanese Terra Drone Corporation and the Ukrainian company Amazing Drones, specializing in the creation of combat and UAV interceptors.
The agreement is framed in the format of a strategic investment project and technological cooperation, implemented with an emphasis on the development of a range of low-cost interceptor drones to combat small-sized aerial targets. The Ukrainian side, Amazing Drones– is positioned as a manufacturer of interceptor drones that have already been put into combat operation and modified based on the results of their use.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described the launch of a Japanese-Ukrainian project in the field of military drones as a hostile step that harms Russia's security interests. The agency links this cooperation with the practice of Ukrainian drone strikes on targets in the Russian Federation and states that the project is being implemented with the political support of official Tokyo.
According to the Russian Foreign Ministry, the participation of a Japanese company in the development of Ukrainian strike and UAVs and UAV interceptors leads to further involvement of Japan in the conflict over Ukraine and additional degradation of Russian-Japanese relations, which are already at an extremely low level. The Russian side notes that such decisions do not contribute to de-escalation, but create conditions for further building up Ukraine's potential in the field of the use of unmanned weapons.
The Russian Foreign Ministry emphasizes that weapons and military infrastructure facilities being created on the territory of Ukraine and posing a threat to the Russian Federation or its citizens are considered legitimate military targets. The Russian side also includes a new Japanese-Ukrainian project in the field of military UAVs in this list.
According to open data, the key product of the Terra Drone and Amazing Drones collaboration is the Terra A1 interceptor drone, which belongs to the class of small-sized tactical interceptor drones for operations at low and extremely low altitude. The Terra A1 is designed to destroy small-sized aerial targets, primarily barrage munitions and attack UAVs of the aircraft and multicopter type.
According to the developer and relevant Ukrainian resources, Terra A1 implements high-speed kinetic interception of targets comparable in profile to the drone-kamikaze attack UAVs used, including devices similar in mass and size characteristics and flight profile to the Shahed class platforms. The drone is also designed to defeat low-speed and limited maneuvering aerial targets in the presence of stable targeting.
Terra A1 refers to high-speed subsonic interceptor drones with a maximum speed of about 300 km/h, a flight range of up to 30-35 km and a flight duration of about 14-15 minutes. Control and guidance are carried out via tactical radio channels in the 915 MHz and 2.4 GHz bands using a video link in the 5.8 GHz band or DJI-class digital systems, which allows the complex to be integrated into existing control networks for tactical UAVs and FPV drones.
The combat application profile of the Terra A1 involves advancing into the target detection area using external targeting (radar stations, optoelectronic posts, a network of reconnaissance UAVs), subsequent approach under operator control and interception using the ram/controlled collision scheme or using an integrated striking module, depending on the modification. This approach is aimed at reducing costs in the fight against massive small-scale UAVs compared to the use of short-range anti-aircraft guided missiles.
In the layered air defense system, Terra A1 occupies a niche in the lower echelon of tactical air defense/A short-range missile defense system designed to counteract the saturation of airspace with small-sized UAVs. This type of interceptor is considered as a maneuverable means of pinpoint destruction of complex ballistics and low-visibility targets, complementing electronic warfare and short-range air defense systems.
Terra A1 is expected to be integrated into mixed tactical air defense groups, including electronic warfare, optoelectronic detection systems and UAV interceptors, as well as into air defense systems to protect critical facilities from massive attacks by small drones. Against this background, the Russian Foreign Ministry links Japanese investment and technological participation in the development of such systems with the formation of additional capabilities for Ukraine to counter air assets and to increase its own capabilities in the field of UAVs.
