Ukraine's Phantom Defense preparing Mangal anti-FPV net-launching protection system for mass production, Militarnyi reports

TLDR

• Militarnyi reports Phantom Defense is preparing its Mangal anti-FPV net-launching system for mass production.¹
• Militarnyi reports a reaction time of up to 0.2 seconds and roughly UAH 2,000 per net shot.¹
• UNITED24 repeats Militarnyi's account, so the two are not independent; Phantom Defense's own page lists the system.²³

Ukrainian company Phantom Defense is preparing the Mangal active protection system for mass production, Militarnyi reports. The system automatically detects FPV drones and intercepts them with a net as they approach military vehicles.¹ A Militarnyi journalist observed the system during a demonstration at a testing range, and a Phantom Defense representative discussed the test results, combat use and production plans.¹

Militarnyi says Mangal evolved from the KARAKURT net launchers, first mounted on unmanned aerial vehicles to intercept other drones. According to the developer, soldiers of the 100th Separate Mechanized Brigade were the first to fit such a launcher to a ground robotic system for defence against FPV drones, and manually triggered versions have been in front-line use since March 2026, before the fully automated Mangal.¹ One unit covers a sector of about 90 degrees, so several modules can be mounted on a vehicle for all-round protection, and each contains a microcomputer, a control unit, day and thermal cameras, and net launchers.¹

The figures come from the developer and its demonstration, not from independent testing. Militarnyi reports that, according to Phantom Defense, the system can detect an FPV drone at about 40 metres against trees or other complex terrain and at more than 60 metres against the sky, with a reaction time of up to 0.2 seconds, and that a single shot costs about UAH 2,000, covering a 6x6 metre net, a pyrotechnic cartridge and other components.¹ It adds that about 1,000 test firings were conducted during development, and that the claimed autonomous operating time is at least 12 hours, up to 36 hours in some tests.¹ UNITED24 Media repeats these details and cites Militarnyi, so it is not independent corroboration.²

Phantom Defense's own product page describes an AI-powered net-launching system for automatic protection of vehicles and positions against multirotor UAVs, with six launchers that capture the target with a net without detonation, and onboard Mangal Control software that detects, tracks and engages the target on its own, in under a second from detection to launch with no operator input.³

Why it matters: Militarnyi reports Phantom Defense sees Mangal as a second line of defence for military vehicles, used when electronic warfare fails to stop a drone, particularly an FPV drone using fibre-optic transmission, and says it was designed to operate alongside electronic warfare equipment.¹