Ukraine develops new Shershen air defense system
Ukraine has developed and tested a new multi-caliber air defense system named “Shershen,” according to a report published by the Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi.
The main developer and systems integrator is a company that is part of the National Association of Defense Industries of Ukraine (NAUDI), working with several Ukrainian firms responsible for missile guidance and control systems, as well as radar and launcher integration.
Militarnyi reported that the Shershen — whose name translates as “Hornet” — surface-to-air missile system has been tested with five types of missiles. These include Soviet-era missiles, foreign-made missiles, and prospective Ukrainian-designed missiles. The system is designed to allow different missile calibers to be used from a single launcher platform.
Serhii Honcharov, director of NAUDI, explained the rationale behind the concept. “This eliminates dependence on a single supplier, because they operate in a competitive environment and want to tie the customer to themselves for decades. And then a situation arises when, conditionally, there are launchers, but no missiles, and the volume of missile production is, firstly, small, and secondly, they become more and more expensive every year,” Honcharov said.
Photographs published by Militarnyi show the launcher fitted with two R-27 missiles equipped with infrared homing systems, one of which appears without its protective cap. The R-27 ( NATO reporting name AA-10 Alamo) is a medium-range air-to-air missile originally developed in the Soviet Union and later adapted in several countries for ground-based air defense roles.
Ukraine has faced an acute shortage of air defense missiles amid intensive combat operations and sustained large-scale aerial attacks by Russia. Existing Western and Soviet-designed air defense systems in Ukrainian service are tied to specific manufacturers and missile inventories. When compatible missiles are unavailable, launchers remain idle during repeated attacks while awaiting deliveries.
The Shershen system is built around the concept of multi-caliber compatibility. By enabling the use of different missile types from one launcher, Ukrainian developers aim to reduce reliance on a single supplier and expand the range of available munitions, including legacy Soviet stocks, imported missiles, and future Ukrainian designs.
CORRECTION: Story corrected on February 13 to note that launcher fitted with two R-27 missiles.
