Alazan interceptor
Low-cost guided surface-to-air missile under development against drones
A guided interceptor based on the civilian Alazan anti-hail rocket, shown at the weapons exhibition at the Chebarkul training range (Urals) that Putin visited on 2 October 2026, around the Tsentr-2026 exercise. It appeared in Russian state TV and Kremlin footage; the official Kremlin account does not mention the missile. The reported price of about $12,000 (≈ 1 million roubles) makes it one of several Russian attempts to find a cheaper answer to Ukrainian drones than missile air defence built for aircraft and cruise missiles. All data beyond the civilian baseline are estimates by Ukrainian media; developer unknown; not independently confirmed.
Learn more in the Drone Academy →Key data
- Basis
- Alazan-6 (82.5 mm, according to Defense Express) or Alazan-2M/-6 (according to Militarnyi); the Alazan-6 has been in series production since the 2000s
- Civilian performance
- Alazan-6: range up to ~12 km, altitude up to ~9.3 km, total mass 8.8 kg (Defense Express); Militarnyi cites ~10 km range and ~8 km altitude
- Modification (estimate)
- Hail reagent (~0.5–0.66 kg) replaced by a fragmentation warhead; nose section with control surfaces, guidance unit and fuze; four cruciform fins and folding stabilisers (Militarnyi's reading of photos)
- Guidance (estimate)
- Most likely radio command from the ground — a radar or IR seeker would push the price above $12,000 (Defense Express)
- Price
- ~$12,000 / ≈ 1 million roubles each (unnamed source)
- Launcher
- Not shown; possibly a modified Eliya-2 with 16 rails (Defense Express)
Status
- Development
- Under development; air-defence role inferred from the display, not officially confirmed
- Shown
- Chebarkul exhibition, 2 Oct 2026 (Tsentr-2026), visited by Putin
- Source
- Euromaidan Press / Militarnyi (8 Oct 2026), Defense Express (7 Oct 2026) — RU Mil Tracker e-20261009-12 and e-20261009-s06; Ukrainian analyses, not independently confirmed
Relevance
- Lesson
- Like Ukraine and the West, Russia is looking for cost parity between interceptor and drone: a ~$12,000 missile against a drone costing tens of thousands of dollars
- Threat
- According to Defense Express it could become a problem for Ukrainian drones, including jet-powered UAVs; effectiveness unknown
- See also
- The Hard kill and Arena-M cards
News archive 2
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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Russia shows drone interceptor derived from Alazan anti-hail rocket at Chebarkul exhibition toured by Putin
A guided interceptor based on the civilian Alazan anti-hail rocket was displayed at a weapons exhibition at the Chebarkul training range in the Urals on 2 October 2026, which Vladimir Putin toured, Euromaidan Press reports, drawing on an original report and analysis by the Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi. The guided version appeared in Russian state TV (Russia…
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russia Developing New $12,000 Surface-to-Air Missile to Counter Drones: What Is Known, What Could Its Specifications Be? (Defense Express)
Defense Express reports that Russia is developing a surface-to-air missile to intercept drones based on the unguided 82.5 mm Alazan-6 anti-hail rocket. The missile was shown to Putin at an arms exhibition held alongside the Center-2026 exercise, presented as designed to intercept UAVs. Its reported cost is about 1 million roubles (roughly $11,700). This app…