Ukraine is developing its own comprehensive air defense system modeled loosely on Israel’s “Iron Dome,” but on a much larger scale to match the size of the country, a senior Air Force official said.
Pavlo Yelizarov, deputy commander of Ukraine’s Air Force, said the planned system would combine several elements rather than rely solely on expensive Western-made missile defenses.
Speaking in an interview with journalist Yanina Sokolova, Yelizarov said it would be impossible to fully shield Ukraine’s territory using high-cost air defense systems such as Patriot air defense system or IRIS-T air defense system alone.
Instead, Ukraine’s military leadership has approved a concept for a domestically developed “Iron Dome” consisting of four integrated components designed to counter aerial threats.
“It will differ from the Israeli one because our dome must be much larger,” Yelizarov said. “If you placed the Israeli dome over our system, it would look like a small spot purely in terms of scale.”
The Air Force is currently working on implementing the system, he added.
Half of drones destroyed near the front
According to Yelizarov, up to 50% of Russian drones are currently destroyed near the border or along the front line, where Ukraine’s most experienced air defense and rapid-response units are stationed.
These forward-deployed brigades absorb the bulk of incoming attacks and intercept many drones before they can reach major cities or critical infrastructure.
Yelizarov said Russian forces have recently changed their tactics, launching Iranian-designed Shahed drones in large swarms to overwhelm Ukrainian defenses.
“They no longer fly in small groups. It’s like wild boars running through a forest, smashing everything in their path,” he said. “This model will likely intensify.”
Even if Ukraine deploys mobile air-defense teams in multiple defensive layers, a large wave of drones – for example 15 entering the same sector simultaneously – can still overwhelm local defenses, he added.
To counter the tactic, the Air Force has developed new methods of combating drone swarms and is gradually transitioning to them.
Focus on ‘small air defense’
Yelizarov was appointed deputy commander of the Air Force in January 2026. According to Ukraine’s defense minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, he is responsible for developing the concept of “small air defense,” a system designed primarily to counter drones.
Before his appointment, Yelizarov commanded the military unit Lasar’s Group, considered one of the most effective drone-hunting units within Ukraine’s Defense Forces. He joined the military in February 2022 after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.