Building a digital experience for a next-gen Ukrainian interceptor drone

Zirka is a Ukrainian interceptor drone built to take down UAV threats. Like a true star (that’s what the name means), it comes with real battlefield experience, codification by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, lower production costs, and higher speed compared to Shahed drones.

Zirka’s team wanted to go beyond specs and make people understand the product’s impact. The website had to speak to defense stakeholders in Europe & NATO, private defense investors, and Ukrainian military personnel at once.

Most miltech websites are the same: corporate layouts, static visuals, technical documentation. They look more like a press release or an online catalog than a product built around advanced technology.

We wanted to break that pattern and create an immersive digital experience that shows the power of Zirka. Instead of simply explaining how the drone works, we built a visual environment that lets users feel the technology before reading the details.

The first point of contact with Zirka became a lifelike experience. We skipped a standard product shot and placed a 3D model of the interceptor drone inside a dark environment—the exact night conditions where it works.

The main visual idea was built around contrast: the darkness represents the threat, while Zirka becomes the point of light cutting through it. We created a god-ray effect around the drone and highlighted the silhouette, making it feel more powerful and real.

Presenting technical specifications as a simple feature list is too average. Instead, we turned them into an interactive system built around military-inspired visual metaphors.

Each capability is presented through a different element: targeting systems, radius indicators, navigation references, etc. The section feels less like reading documentation and more like exploring a mission interface.

The 3D specs section deserves an honorable mention. We created a cinematic sequence focused on movement and technology.

The camera uses a vertical speed effect while light passes through the interceptor’s structure, revealing its shape and engineering details. This design move proves the drone is an advanced defense technology.

The “usage” section focuses on the real-world application of Zirka—batterfield experience is its biggest advantage. We created an interactive scene with dynamic lighting where users can explore how each part of the system works.

By selecting different cards, users activate specific scenes and see what matters to operate the interceptor. This turns abstract technical information into a clear visual story.

Creating this level of interaction inside Webflow came with limitations. We had tight budget constraints, an aggressive timeline, and a product that required a lot of custom work.

The biggest challenge was balancing performance with visual ambition. We pushed Webflow beyond a typical website setup, combining 3D, animations, and interactions into one experience that could communicate Zirka’s value.