A new multirotor reconnaissance drone from Ukrainian firm Vyriy Industries is being positioned as an alternative to DJI Mavic quadcopters widely used on the battlefield.
Known as Slavic, the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has an operating range of 30 kilometers (18.6 miles), a cruise speed of 55 kilometers (34 miles) per hour, and a maximum speed of 65 kilometers (40 miles) per hour.
It uses a solid-state 6S1P, 40,000-milliampere-hour battery that can be quickly replaced in the field, providing up to 90 minutes of flight endurance.
For reconnaissance, Slavic carries a 2K daylight camera mounted on a three-axis-stabilized gimbal. The system provides 10-times optical zoom and up to 30-times hybrid zoom.
This allows crews to observe activity from greater distances while supporting artillery and first-person-view missions without having to move closer to enemy positions.
For communications and navigation, the UAV uses a two-way digital link for command and video transmission, along with optical positioning that allows it to operate in GPS-denied environments.
Its control interface is modeled on the DJI Mavic platform, allowing operators familiar with the commercial quadcopters to transition to the new system without extensive retraining.
Slavic Moves Toward Wider Use
Slavic has completed initial combat trials with seven Ukrainian Defense Forces units and has entered serial production.
Vyriy Industries is also developing additional variants, including versions equipped with thermal imaging cameras or relay payloads for different operational requirements.
“The war has changed, and so have the conditions in which crews operate. The kill zone has expanded, while Chinese commercial quadcopters are limited in how far they can be effectively used,” said Oleksii Babenko, founder and chief executive officer of Vyriy Industries.
“The main task now is to give the military a specialized platform that can fly longer and farther, allowing crews to operate farther from the line of contact. That is why we started developing Slavic.”
