Ukraine conducted at least three tests of systems designed to intercept ballistic missiles outside the Earth’s atmosphere. This was reported on November 8, 2026, by the British The Guardian citing Verkhovna Rada deputy Fedir Venislavsky. Among the tested solutions is the launch of weapons from aircraft capable of reaching high altitudes.
Author: Victoria Katsman
The developments are also being considered as a possible response to the Russian missile “Oreshnik”. For Israel, this news is of particular interest: the Israeli-American Arrow 3 complex, known in the country as “Hetz-3”, is already capable of intercepting ballistic targets outside the atmosphere.
However, Ukrainian tests do not yet mean the emergence of a ready analogue of Arrow 3. Kyiv does not disclose the technical characteristics of the new systems and does not report on the successful destruction of real ballistic targets.
What exactly Ukraine tested
Fedir Venislavsky, who heads the Verkhovna Rada subcommittee on state security, defense, and defense innovations, confirmed to The Guardian that Ukraine demonstrated the launches of exoatmospheric systems and is exploring the possibility of organizing their production.
The peculiarity of the tests is the use of high-altitude aircraft for launching interceptors. This method theoretically allows choosing the launch area and starting the missile flight from a high altitude.
But it is still unknown which aircraft were used, how high the interceptors ascended, and which targets participated in the tests. There is also no information on the cost of development and the timing of possible deployment.
Venislavsky called the creation of such systems a priority task, while simultaneously acknowledging a serious funding problem. During the ongoing war, Ukraine has to allocate limited resources between the needs of the front and promising developments.
Why “Oreshnik” requires a different level of protection
The Russian “Oreshnik” belongs to medium-range ballistic missiles. During the flight, the missile can exit the dense layers of the atmosphere, after which its warhead separates into several blocks.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence, during the strike on Dnipro on November 21, 2024, the missile covered the distance from the Astrakhan region in approximately 15 minutes. In the final section, its speed exceeded 11 Machs — about 13,600 km/h, or 3.7 kilometers per second.
Such speed leaves the defending side extremely little time. After the separation of the warhead blocks, the task becomes additionally complicated: instead of one target, the system must track several.
That is why interception in the mid-course phase, before the separation of the warhead, is of particular interest. However, the possibility of such interception depends on the specific design of the missile, the time of detection, and the characteristics of the missile defense system.
Israeli experience: what Arrow 3 can do
In Israel, multi-layered missile defense has long been part of everyday security. But the “Iron Dome” familiar to most residents is primarily intended to counter short-range missiles and other relatively close threats. To combat long-range ballistic missiles, there is the Arrow family — “Hetz”.
Arrow 3 is specifically designed for exoatmospheric interception. The complex was developed by Israel in cooperation with the USA, with Israel Aerospace Industries as the main contractor.
The system was put into service in 2017. On November 9, 2023, the Israeli Ministry of Defense officially announced its first successful operational use: Israeli forces intercepted a target launched towards the country from the Red Sea area.
For Ukrainian developers, this experience shows that the destruction of ballistic targets outside the atmosphere is possible not only at a test range.
The difference in technical approaches is significant. Arrow 3 uses ground-based launchers, whereas Ukrainian experiments mention an airborne start. Comparing the effectiveness of these solutions without test data is impossible.
There are also no confirmations of the transfer of Arrow 3 technologies to Ukraine or the participation of Israeli specialists in the described program.
Europe is also developing protection against such missiles
Ukraine is not the only one seeking a solution. In July 2026, companies Airbus, Destinus, MBDA Deutschland, Safran, and Thales announced the creation of the Bliksem EXO consortium.
Its task is to develop a European interceptor for medium and intermediate-range ballistic missiles capable of destroying targets outside the atmosphere with direct kinetic impact.
The first test of the exoatmospheric strike apparatus is scheduled for 2027. For now, it is an industrial project, not an active defense system.
Ukraine is also creating its own satellite network
The Guardian’s material is not only about missiles. Ukraine is trying to reduce its dependence on foreign satellite operators, primarily Starlink, whose operational restrictions have created problems for military communications.
On October 1, 2026, Ukrainian HIMERA, together with Danish GomSpace, launched the OBRIA NANO satellite as part of the SpaceX Transporter-18 mission. On October 27, developers confirmed that the device is operational in orbit and undergoing testing.
In the future, the creation of a network of approximately 245 satellites is being considered. For now, the existing experimental device cannot be considered a full replacement for Starlink.
The Guardian also reports on a Ukrainian strike on August 15 on the “Progress” rocket and space center in Samara, where components for “Soyuz-2” rockets are produced. According to the publication, two buildings were damaged, including building 106A. These facilities are associated with Russian satellite launch capabilities, including for the “Rassvet” network, which Moscow is developing as an alternative to Starlink.
Simultaneously, Russia is using electronic jamming, means of affecting satellite sensors, and observation devices. The Guardian provides information on the maneuvers of the Russian satellite “Kosmos-2612” near the Finnish ICEYE device, which provides Ukraine with satellite data.
For Kyiv, independent communication, intelligence, and missile defense are gradually becoming parts of a single defense task.
What this changes for Ukraine and Israel
Israel already has combat experience in exoatmospheric interception. Ukraine is still at the experimental stage but is trying to create its own solutions for threats that existing defense means find difficult to handle.
For both countries, one principle is important: it is desirable to detect and destroy a dangerous ballistic missile as early as possible before it reaches the protected territory.
Three Ukrainian tests do not yet prove that “Oreshnik” can be reliably intercepted. However, they indicate an attempt to go beyond traditional air defense. The next question is whether it will be possible to confirm the target’s defeat and establish the production of a system that can be used in real combat conditions.