Neros develops Bandit interceptor for Shahed

Bandit shows Neros moving up from cheap one way strike drones into air defense, where the job is not just hitting ground targets but catching incoming aircraft before they land a hit. That matters because Shahed class drones are much larger and longer range than small FPVs, so stopping them needs a faster interceptor, autonomous guidance, and a supply chain cheap enough that the defender does not spend a missile to kill a drone.1 2 3 4 5

• Bandit fits a broader product ladder. Neros already sells Archer for precision strike, added GPS denied Archer AI and a 5 inch close quarters version in 2026, and is using APEX so crews can swap payloads in the field. Bandit extends that same manufacturing and modularity base into interception.1
• The target set is meaningfully harder. Shahed 136 style drones carry roughly 40 to 50 kg warheads and fly hundreds to thousands of kilometers, which is why they are used against infrastructure and air defenses. An interceptor for that threat sits closer to short range air defense than to ordinary FPV combat drones.4 5
• There is an emerging category here. Anduril’s Anvil is built to autonomously intercept Group 1 and Group 2 drones, while Ukrainian firms like TAF are building interceptors for Shahed type threats. Bandit places Neros into that same counter drone spend bucket, not just the offensive drone bucket.2 3 6

The next step is a full loop where the same company sells the attacker, the defender, and the parts behind both. If Bandit reaches combat deployment by the end of 2026, Neros can compete for larger counter drone budgets and become harder to displace, because militaries prefer vendors that can equip both strike teams and base defense units from one production system.1 2 3