Terra Drone Makes Second Strategic Investment in Ukrainian Fixed-Wing Interceptor Drone Company WinnyLab LLC

Terra Drone Corporation (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; CEO: Toru Tokushige; hereinafter "Terra Drone") has announced, through its subsidiary Terra Inspectioneering, a strategic investment in WinnyLab LLC (hereinafter "WinnyLab"), a defense tech company based in Ukraine that develops and manufactures fixed-wing interceptor drones. This follows the company's previous investment in Amazing Drones, a rocket-type interceptor drone company, and is part of strengthening its multi-layered defense portfolio in the interceptor drone domain. Reference: https://terra-drone.net/25883 Through this investment, Terra Drone gains fixed-wing interceptor capabilities suitable for long-range and long-endurance missions, in addition to its existing short-range rapid-response capabilities, further promoting the construction of multi-layered defense systems. Background: Evolution of Drone Warfare and the Need for Multi-layered Defense In the current global security environment, mass attacks by loitering munitions (suicide drones) costing only thousands of dollars, such as the Shahed, have become a serious threat to critical infrastructure and civilian life. Continuously responding to these relatively low-cost threats using high-cost interceptor missiles worth millions of dollars poses a challenge from a defense cost perspective. Building a sustainable new interception system has become a crucial theme in the international community. Currently in Ukraine, while several companies have track records in rocket-type drones suitable for short-range interception, low-cost solutions with long-range performance capable of capturing and neutralizing threats from a distance are indispensable for achieving wider and earlier defense. To counter such "threats of quantity," the approach to defense is evolving from protection by a single expensive piece of equipment to multi-layered defense that handles threats before they arrive by combining multiple means. Among these, interceptor drones are rapidly being introduced as new air defense infrastructure due to their low cost, high mobility, suitability for distributed deployment, and potential for continuous improvement and mass production. Terra Drone is considering various approaches to the early realization of multi-layered defense, including improving drone capabilities, lateral expansion of general-purpose technologies, and expanding its expertise and partner network. Purpose of Investment WinnyLab has successfully developed an electric fixed-wing interceptor drone with wide-area interception capabilities that balances long-duration patrol with high-speed precision interception in extremely harsh combat environments where communication jamming and GPS denial are common. Through this investment, Terra Drone will incorporate these technologies to expand the multi-layered defense system it is building. Features of the New Interceptor Drone "Terra A2" The company's electric fixed-wing interceptor is designed with advanced aerodynamics and overall optimization, allowing it to fly at a maximum speed of 312 km/h—surpassing the common 200 km/h speed of the Shahed—and providing a 75 km wide-area coverage capability. Furthermore, by comprehensively designing battery capacity, propulsion efficiency, wing design, and air resistance reduction, it achieves a flight duration of over 40 minutes. Additionally, the aircraft is designed for integrated operation with radar systems, improving interception accuracy against incoming threats by precisely identifying its own position and the target's position. This makes it a highly practical solution enabling everything from wide-area surveillance to rapid response. Fixed-wing interceptor drones play a central role in "addressing threats before they arrive" by enabling (1) wide-area patrol and surveillance, (2) early detection and tracking of targets, (3) continuous interception response, and (4) threat neutralization before they approach. This allows a single aircraft to complete everything from airspace surveillance to target detection, tracking, and neutralization with simple operability, representing the acquisition of a "wide-area air defense layer" that cannot be covered by short-range interception alone. Multi-layered Defense through Combination with Rocket-type The company is already strengthening its rapid-response proximity defense capabilities through its investment in rocket-type interceptor drone companies and the "Terra A1." With this latest move, the company realizes the following two-tier structure: - Fixed-wing Terra A2: Forward Defense (Wide-area surveillance, long-duration patrol, long-range interception, early response) - Rocket-type Terra A1: Final Defense (High-speed launch, immediate interception, short-range response, site protection) By combining these two types of interceptor assets, it becomes possible to select the optimal interception method according to the threat's distance, speed, and intrusion route, enabling the sophistication of defense systems. CEO Comment "WinnyLab's technology is a powerful solution to 'cost asymmetry,' which is a critical issue in modern defense."