Terra Drone's Fixed-Wing Interceptor 'Terra A2' Successfully Shoots Down Shahed-Type Loitering Munition in Combat

Tokyo, June 15, 2026 — Terra Drone Corporation, a Japanese leader in drone and urban air mobility (UAM) technology, has announced that the fixed-wing interceptor drone Terra A2 — co-developed with Ukrainian defense-tech company WinnyLab LLC, a portfolio company of Terra Drone subsidiary Terra Inspectioneering — has successfully intercepted a Shahed-type long-range loitering munition under actual combat conditions.

As the global defense community grapples with the cost-asymmetry challenge of deploying expensive interceptor systems against mass waves of low-cost Shahed-type threats, Terra Drone is positioning low-cost, combat-validated operational effectiveness as its core competitive advantage, with the goal of enabling sustainable next-generation air defense infrastructure.

The confirmed multiple successful intercepts by Terra A2 in a real combat environment mark a significant milestone and validate the operational viability of fixed-wing interceptor drones as a wide-area air defense solution.

Background

Low-cost long-range drones such as the Shahed — each estimated to cost approximately USD 50,000 (around JPY 5 million) — have posed serious threats to critical infrastructure, urban areas, and civilian populations across regions including the Middle East and Ukraine. In recent years, Russia, China, and North Korea have continued to scale up mass production of unmanned systems, making drone threat response an increasingly urgent security issue across the Indo-Pacific.

At the same time, continued reliance on interceptor missiles costing hundreds of millions of yen to counter relatively cheap threats has raised widespread concerns about defense cost sustainability. This has driven growing global demand for new air defense infrastructure capable of countering low-cost threats in a sustainable manner.

Despite rapid expansion of the interceptor drone market, very few companies worldwide have demonstrated consistent, verifiable intercept effectiveness under actual combat conditions.

In recent international defense procurement, combat-proven performance — capability confirmed effective in real operational environments — has become an increasingly critical evaluation criterion, often outweighing raw specifications or results obtained in controlled test conditions.

Real combat environments involve factors such as GPS jamming, electronic warfare, communications disruption, and rapidly evolving operational requirements that are difficult to fully replicate in standard testing. Reliability in defense equipment is therefore determined not only by specifications, but by whether systems continue to perform effectively on an actual battlefield.

At a time when opportunities for Japanese companies to validate defense technology in real combat environments are extremely limited, Terra Drone moved quickly to deploy operationally, announcing in April 2026 that its Terra A1 interceptor drone had successfully intercepted a long-range unmanned aerial threat in a combat environment. The Terra A2's combat success represents a further breakthrough building on that foundation.

Terra Drone will continue to integrate its technical and operational expertise with the established strengths of Japanese industry — quality management, safety, operational stability, and supply chain capability — to advance next-generation air defense systems that are both operationally effective and sustainable under real combat conditions.

Program Overview

Terra Drone and WinnyLab have jointly advanced the operational evaluation of Terra A2, which has now been confirmed to have successfully intercepted long-range unmanned aerial threats under actual combat conditions.

The confirmed intercepts are not isolated incidents, but demonstrate the sustained operational capability and repeatability of a fixed-wing interceptor drone in a real combat environment. Combined with the previously announced intercept record of Terra A1, this represents a substantive step forward for Terra Drone's defense business.

Terra A2 Specifications

Through advanced aerodynamic design and overall airframe optimization, Terra A2 achieves a maximum speed of 312 km/h, a wide-area coverage range of 75 km, and an endurance of over 40 minutes. The platform also supports integration with radar systems, enabling it to perform wide-area surveillance, target detection, tracking, and intercept missions as a fixed-wing interceptor, providing a forward wide-area air defense layer before threats reach their targets — effectively complementing traditional close-in defense systems.

Terra Drone is also actively developing a layered defense architecture that combines the rocket-type interceptor Terra A1 — already deployed and combat-validated — with the fixed-wing interceptor Terra A2:

By combining both interceptor assets, Terra Drone aims to achieve an engagement model that selects the most effective interceptor based on threat range, speed, and approach vector, enabling a more advanced and sustainable next-generation air defense system.

Outlook

Going forward, Terra Drone will continue to build compliant operational foundations in accordance with the regulations of individual countries while establishing a global supply framework. The company will also strengthen collaboration with government and defense authorities in Japan, Europe, the Middle East, and the Asia-Pacific region to advance sustainable air defense infrastructure.

As the interceptor drone market continues to evolve toward more specialized segments — short-range, medium-range, and long-range — Terra Drone will further develop solutions spanning multiple defensive layers, targeting the realization of a new low-cost, sustainable defense architecture.

By continuing to deliver technology that contributes to the protection of human lives, critical infrastructure, and essential social functions, Terra Drone is committed to supporting sustainable security infrastructure while expanding its commercial opportunities in the global defense market.

Impact on Financial Results

Terra Drone believes this development will contribute to the company's medium- to long-term corporate value. However, the anticipated impact on Terra Drone's consolidated financial results for the fiscal year ending January 2027 is currently expected to be minimal. Any matters requiring disclosure will be announced promptly as they arise.

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Defense Business Contact

• Business website: https://terra-defense.com/
• Contact form: https://terra-defense.com/contact/
• Terra Drone Corporation Defense Division, Morita
• Email: defense@terra-drone.co.jp
• TEL: 080-4329-7881

Media Contact Terra Drone Corporation PR Team Tel: +81-3-6419-7193 Email: pr@terra-drone.co.jp

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