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The use of FPV kamikaze drones in warfare is a topic that continues to generate interest. The recent brilliant operation by the Ukrainian Armed Forces to strike Russian aircraft with drones has raised interest in this topic at a new level. These audacious strikes were discussed in all the world’s major media sources, which described them as a turning point in military history. Ukrainians are fighting at their limits to counter the invaders. That is why military innovations are being developed, increasing the role of drones in 21st-century warfare. Hence, let us delve into the types and brands of Ukrainian war drones, which are already the future of military operations.
Role of Drones in War
With Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the world’s first war involving the mass use of drones in combat has begun. Although drones are most commonly used for special attacks, they now have many more roles, expanding the range of applications of their functions. An example of the use of Ukrainian drones in highly effective attacks is the aforementioned strike on air bases.
“On June 1, Ukraine carried out one of the most audacious operations in modern military history, using swarms of Ukrainian drones to simultaneously strike four Russian air bases and destroy a significant part of Putin’s bomber fleet” writes David Kirichenko of the Atlantic Council.
The use of drones as weapons in modern warfare significantly changes the course of battle. Now, all military vehicles must be equipped with radio jamming devices to prevent them from being attacked by kamikaze drones. Large infantry groups have also lost their effectiveness, as they are highly vulnerable to drone attacks. Ukraine’s innovative use of drones is not limited to just targeted strikes. Currently, drones in the Ukraine war are used for the following purposes:
- Naval operations
- Reconnaissance and surveillance
- Fire correction and artillery aiming
- Strike operations
- Logistics and delivery
- Search and rescue
- Radio-electronic warfare
- Evacuation of injured and surrendered soldiers
- Demining
- Recording and documenting war crimes
Dynamic innovations in drone warfare pose certain challenges in terms of accepted norms of military operations and regulations. On the Ukrainian side, the Ministry of Defense issues internal recommendations for legal departments aimed at drone operators to ensure compliance with the laws of armed conflict. These recommendations are based on potential and real combat scenarios to establish rules for dealing with medical personnel, retreating troops, and those evacuating the wounded.
Unlike the invaders, the Ukrainian side always adheres to global standards of responsible warfare, even in times of rapid development of military technology and UAV manufacturers.
Ukraine’s unique military experience, gained through unconventional warfare solutions, is truly revolutionary, and not only in terms of the use of drones. The history of this war will bring significant changes in the formation of military doctrine in the future, as well as significant updates to international standards for the use of drones in a military context.
Main Ukrainian Models and Types of Ammunition and Tactical Drones
Let’s move straight on to UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) models from leading drone manufacturing companies, considering their characteristics and purposes, and categorizing them into classes.
Strike and Strike-Reconnaissance Drones
Bayraktar TB2 is one of the most famous drones in Ukraine, which has been effectively used in many operations. It is a Turkish strike-reconnaissance drone known for its long flight duration, which allows it to fly for up to 24 hours. It is also capable of carrying high-precision laser-guided munitions. It is widely used to destroy artillery, vehicles, strategic targets, and even ships during operations on Zmiinyi Island.
Phoenix Ghost — autonomous loitering missiles manufactured in the United States. They can fly for up to 6 hours and do not require direct control. These are rather secretive UAVs about which little is actually known.
Punisher — a Ukrainian multifunctional strike and reconnaissance UCAV capable of performing various tasks in addition to combat missions. It has been used not only in targeted attacks and surveillance but also for search and rescue and logistical purposes. It was introduced into service in 2023. Since then, more than 230 drones have been used.
Local Bombing Multicopters
The R18 is a Ukrainian octocopter (8 propellers) designed to drop explosive payloads weighing up to 5 kg. This weight is sufficient to destroy tanks, artillery, and armored vehicles, not to mention other targets. Another unique feature is its ability to operate at night.
“Baba Yaga” is the collective name for heavy multicopters with 4 to 8 propellers, capable of carrying up to 15 kg of rocket ammunition. They can be used as “mother ships” for signal relay, jamming, and extending the flight time of other drones.
Loitering/Kamikaze Drones
UJ-25 Skyline — Ukrainian kamikaze drone with a turbojet engine, which provides extremely high speed, increasing the difficulty of interception. It has an operational range of hundreds of kilometers.
Tactical-Operational Drones
DJI and Autel — easy-to-use micro drones designed for short-range reconnaissance, with an average flight time of up to 5 hours.
Stork-100 and Fury — Ukrainian mid-range tactical drones with an average flight time of about 3 hours.
PD-2 and Raybird-3 are Ukrainian operational-tactical drones designed for reconnaissance behind the front lines and long-distance flights, with an approximate flight time of 10 hours.
Interceptors and Drone-Based Air Defense Systems
Interceptor drones are inexpensive FPV drones designed to intercept enemy kamikaze drones. Currently, Ukrainian drone manufacturers produce them at a cost of $1,000–5,000 each and plan to increase production to 1,000 per day. Some models are five times cheaper than Patriot, although they are less effective. It is reported that interceptor drones have shot down over 3,000 enemy drones so far.
Unmanned Surface Vessels (USV)
MAGURA V5, V6P, V7 — Ukrainian unmanned small boats for reconnaissance, patrol, air defense, and countering ships. The V7 version is armed with Sea Dragon missiles.
Sea Baby — an SBU platform designed for attacks on ships. It carries explosive payloads of up to 850 kg or thermobaric grenade launchers. Its main parameters are an operating range of about 1,000 km and a speed of up to 90 km/h.
Drones for Demining
Solomandra is a compact Ukrainian unmanned ground platform. Its main mission is to detonate landmines without risk to humans. It detonates mines, taking into account landscape features, and is a cheap means of humanitarian and military demining.
Safe Pro AI / SpotlightAI are aerial drones equipped with AI cameras for mine detection. During the mine detection process, they take thousands of photographs of fields, and the AI model analyzes and memorizes the coordinates of dangerous objects. Such models are capable of recognizing more than 150 types of explosive ordnance.
Top 10 Military Drone Manufacturers in Ukraine
The lack of choice and the need for cheap but effective military means of fighting the invader stimulated Ukraine to innovate in the military sphere, including unmanned aerial vehicles. Hundreds of local companies, factories, and volunteer organizations have joined this industry. The Ministry of Digital Information of Ukraine says that as of 2025, there are about 500 local drone manufacturers in Ukraine, while before the full-scale invasion, there were only seven, according to the Georgetown Security Studies Review.
As we have already mentioned, these companies include not only well-known military manufacturers but also startups that are making an equally important contribution. Let’s take a look at the most famous drone manufacturing companies in Ukraine.
Ukrspecsystems
War drone: PD-2, Shark UAV.
Ukrspecsystems is an experienced military company with high-tech unmanned aerial vehicles on the assembly line. Reusable reconnaissance drones are one of their specialties. The PD-2, a versatile medium-range reconnaissance drone with optional vertical takeoff and landing capabilities, and the Shark surveillance UAV are widely used for long-range reconnaissance, surveillance, and observation, even adapted to carry small bombs. Due to increased demand for military technology, the company has ramped up production and even established international distribution of its drones for civilian use.
Skyeton
War drone: Raybird-3 (ACS-3).
Skyeton is known for its Raybird-3 UAV. The Raybird drone is an innovative design with fixed-wing, an airborne endurance of up to 28 hours, and a flight range of 2,500 km. Its capabilities allow it to operate in deep reconnaissance conditions, enabling it to work effectively in conjunction with artillery, providing laser guidance and surveillance. The system itself is complex to manufacture and very expensive. It is expected that with the end of the war, Skyeton will continue to effectively promote its developments in international markets by offering aircraft for military and civilian needs.
Antonov
War drone: AN-196 “Liutyi”.
The legendary Ukrainian aircraft manufacturer that is known worldwide for the world’s largest aircraft, the An-225 “Mriya.” Mriya is not the only innovative aircraft from Antonov, as the entire AN series of aircraft is a breakthrough. In 2024, Antonov transitioned from state ownership to a private holding company, becoming more flexible in its projects. In 2023, Antonov introduced the AN-196 “Lutyi,” a long-range unmanned aerial vehicle similar to the Iranian Shahed used by Russia. Lutyi, which means “fierce,” is quite expensive, costing up to $200,000 per unit, but it justifies its price with a flight range of 750 km. Antonov has extensive expertise in the aerospace industry and has collaborated a lot with the state defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom.
Vyriy
War drone: Molfar FPV.
Vyriy is a Ukrainian startup that develops the Molfar drone. This startup was one of the first during the full-scale invasion in 2022 and has reached great heights in FPV development in three years. What makes this startup unique is that it is actively and quite successfully working on localizing the production of components, reaching a figure of 70% of the parts of a drone being produced in Ukraine. By 2024, the company announced that their FPVs are now made entirely from domestic components, starting with the frame and ending with the electronics and cameras.
Their Molfar drone is considered one of the most effective first-person view kamikaze drones. In addition to being made entirely from domestic components, the drones produced by the startup Vyriy are unique in terms of their adaptation to electronic warfare devices, as they are capable of operating at frequencies below 1 GHz, making them impossible to jam or detect.
Skyfall
War drone: Vampire, Shriek.
Skyfall, a manufacturer of FPV drones, was launched in mid-2022, expanded rapidly, and is now one of the largest drone manufacturers. Skyfall remained secretive and stayed in the shadows for a long time until its increased production efficiency made it the main supplier for the Ukrainian “Army of Drones.” Skyfall’s Vampire drone is well known for its name and unique high payload capacity of up to 15 kg, distinguishing it from other FPVs by its ability to carry significantly larger explosive charges and other supplies.
TAF (Terminal Automatic Factory)
War drone: Kolibri 7-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch series.
Like other manufacturers on our list, TAF is one of the largest drone manufacturing companies in Ukraine. Ukraine’s drone industry continues to grow, as evidenced by TAF’s results. At the beginning of 2025, TAF produced about 40,000 FPV drones per month, valuing TAF’s manufacturing volume at more than $1 billion. Among these 40,000 drones, TAF manufactures standardized Kolibri 7-inch, 8-inch, and 10-inch series quadcopters.
Athlon Avia
War drone: Furia UAV, Hrim.
Athlon Avia is one of the few companies that has been producing modern avionics and autopilot systems since the armed conflict in Donbas in 2014. During its operation, the company has made a significant contribution, becoming part of the list of domestic Ukrainian manufacturers in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles. Athlon’s flagship drones are the FuriaUAV, a mini-drone with a long operational range for deep artillery reconnaissance, and the Hrim (Thunder) delay drone. Furia has always provided reliable reconnaissance, and some models are even exported abroad.
UkrJet
War drone: UJ-22 Airborne, UJ-26 “ Bober.”
Like most companies on our list, UkrJet was one of those that began large-scale serial production of drones after the invaders’ attack in 2022. Their main drones are the UJ-22 Airborne and its larger version, the UJ-26 “ Bober,” meaning beaver. The UJ-22 is a relatively small unmanned aerial vehicle whose propeller engine allows it to deliver strategic strikes over long distances.
Terminal Autonomy
War drone: AQ-100, AQ-400 “Scythe.”
Terminal Autonomy is a newcomer with innovative technologies that has attracted international support. Growing military demand has led to significant scaling of the previously lesser-known company. By the end of 2023, Terminal Autonomy was producing more than 1,000 drones per month, significantly increasing its volume from the beginning. Their flagship drones are the AQ-100 and AQ-400 “Scythe,” which are notable for their flight range and affordability, combining efficiency and low cost. Both UAVs are fixed-wing kamikaze drones made of plywood, which significantly reduces their cost. The AQ-400, with the codename “Scythe,” has a flight range of up to 750 km and costs only $30,000, making it one of the cheapest drones for long-range strikes.
Airlogix
War drone: GOR.
Airlogix is a company with extensive experience, having started with cargo drones before moving into military development. Its main drone development is the GOR, a reliable ISR quadcopter with 4 hours of autonomy and a price tag of $200,000. Unfortunately, the scale of war continues to grow, creating demand, which led Airlogix to manufacture 500 units of its flagship GOR drone in 2024, achieving sales of around $100 million. The company continues to develop new technologies and has already announced a new innovative drone.
Evolution of Companies That Make Drones in Ukraine
The need to defend their lands from militarily trained invaders with significantly greater resources during the years of war has increased demand for military technology in Ukraine, rapidly developing the domestic unmanned aerial systems industry. Despite the ongoing conflict in Donbas since 2014 up until the full-scale Russian invasion in 2022, there were only a few small companies and defense research units with significantly limited production capacity among the manufacturers of unmanned aerial vehicles, and they were not always military-oriented.
However, necessity has turned Ukraine into a hub of technological progress and production capacity in just three years. Volunteer drone conversion workshops have grown into companies with mass production of unmanned aerial vehicles for a wide range of operations.
According to reports from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, “Ukraine has become the world’s largest producer of tactical and long-range drones in terms of production volume.”
George Town Security Studies Review has compiled official data showing that Ukrainian factories and volunteer workshops jointly produced more than 4 million drones in 2024. The progress and growth in numbers is truly incredible compared to the few thousand that were produced at the start of the full-scale invasion. The increase in defense production is literally happening in arithmetic progression, because back in 2024, Ukraine was producing 20,000 FPV drones per month, while now in 2025, the volume is an unbelievable 200,000 per month, and the number will continue to grow.
With the announcement of the scale of production in February 2025, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that “The new production facilities would enable Ukraine to produce about 4 million drones per year.”
These impressive figures exceed the drone industry of most NATO countries. The courage and resilience of Ukrainians have created and developed a new innovative sector of defense technologies.
Final Thoughts
In reality, no matter how much Ukraine has strengthened its military industry, it is still vulnerable to Russian attacks and war crimes that take lives every day. Peaceful life in Ukraine did not prepare the defense industry for the attack of the invaders, which forced it to mobilize all its forces to defend itself. That is why Ukraine needs and asks for help every day. If you are looking for ways to support the Ukrainian people, we can help you with that. Join our ongoing active initiatives, which we are constantly promoting, and most importantly, donate, because even the smallest amount of help can save lives.
