More than 12 Sky Sentinel turrets are already in operation to defend Kyiv
More than 12 Ukrainian-made Sky Sentinel 50-caliber automatic turrets have been installed in Kyiv. Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat confirmed that these systems have already been put on combat duty. According to him, there are also confirmed cases of jet drones being destroyed using these turrets.
What is known about the deployment of the turrets
Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ignat confirmed that the turrets in the capital are indeed Sky Sentinel systems. According to him, the systems have already proven effective in combat, with confirmed instances of jet-powered UAVs being destroyed. Earlier that same day, during a telethon, the spokesperson spoke about the turrets shooting down “Geranium-5” missiles.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced the start of the turret installation in Kyiv on October 4. He reported that more than 12 automatic turrets had already been installed in the capital, and another eight are to be deployed in the Kyiv region.
Through UNITED24, approximately $3.3 million was raised for 22 Sky Sentinel systems. In August, five of them were transferred to the 636th Separate Anti-Aircraft Machine Gun Battalion in the Sumy region. The publication notes that the turret is designed as a relatively inexpensive last line of air defense around critical infrastructure, bridges, military positions, and other important sites.
Jet-powered drones are a more difficult target to shoot down. Since the “Geran-5” flies significantly faster than the propeller-driven “Shaheds,” the ability to shoot it down depends on altitude and range. At high altitudes, such a drone can remain out of range of heavy machine gun fire. However, when it descends toward a target or flies at low altitude, it enters the engagement zone. At that point, the decisive factor is whether the system can track the target and calculate the firing parameters in time.
How the turret was designed and how it works
According to UNITED24 Media, the Sky Sentinel was developed by Ukrainian engineers (the company’s name has not been disclosed). All the software was written in Ukraine. The mechanical components were also designed and tested in Ukraine, at testing ranges and under real combat conditions. The optics and rangefinders are imported, as there are no Ukrainian equivalents. In May 2025, one of the prototypes on the front lines shot down four “Shaheds.”
The turret operates autonomously: it is deployed at a combat position and connected to radar data; the system then detects the target, locks onto it, tracks its trajectory, calculates the shot, and opens fire. According to the developers, it can distinguish between a bird and a “Shahed,” and also takes into account the target’s speed and wind resistance. The optics track the drone, and the software determines the lead. The turret does not chase the target but fires at the point where it is expected to be.
The turret’s main specifications are as follows:
the system combines a heavy machine gun with an automated fire control module and has a 360-degree field of fire;
it uses standard machine gun rounds rather than guided munitions;
it is capable of engaging targets traveling at speeds of 200, 400, and up to 800 km/h: “Shaheds,” reconnaissance drones, “kamikaze” munitions, and, within its effective range, cruise missiles;
during field tests, it struck targets five times smaller than a “Shahed”;
its maximum engagement range is classified;
the cost of a single unit is approximately $150,000, and protecting a city requires between 10 and 30 turrets.
Among the engineering challenges, the developers cited mechanical play. A misalignment of just 1 millimeter can result in an error of several dozen meters in range. The turret rotates 360 degrees, raises and lowers the machine gun, is designed to compensate for recoil, and is transported on a trailer.
This was reported by UNITED24 Media.
As a reminder, metro service across the South Bridge in Kyiv may resume during yellow alerts.
Russia may have used a new 40-kilogram warhead during the strike on the South Bridge in Kyiv.
