Space Travel News
UAV NEWS
Ukraine's drone industry seeks to tip scales against Russia
Ukraine's drone industry seeks to tip scales against Russia
By L�a DAUPLE
Kyiv Region, Ukraine (AFP) Mar 12, 2024

With suit-clad employees sipping coffees, Skyeton's offices in Ukraine's Kyiv region look like a typical tech start-up.

But the company -- whose exact location is kept secret -- is actually a drone-manufacturing hub for the Ukrainian armed forces, churning out unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to support the country's defence against the Russian invasion.

"This is a drone war," Skyeton CEO Andriy Fialkovsky told AFP in an interview.

Both Ukraine and Russia have used UAVs extensively throughout the two-year conflict.

Above the battlefield in the east and south, drones fitted with high-definition cameras scope out enemy positions. At night, craft packed with explosives try to strike targets deep behind the frontlines.

Skyeton manufactures the Raybird, a long-range surveillance drone that can fly up to 2,500 kilometres (1,550 miles) in offline mode, and up to 120 kilometres while connected to an operator.

For Technical Director Maksym Levkivsky, drones will be crucial to Ukraine's chances of victory.

"The Russians have a huge advantage in terms of the number of people, tanks, planes and money," he said.

"So the only way for us to win is to have a technological advantage."

- 'Biggest playground' -

Ukraine is striving to ramp up its defence production, an effort it sees as essential as Western allies waver over providing additional vital military aid.

But developing an entire modern arms industry is a costly, long-term task.

For now, Kyiv is banking on drones that are relatively cheap and easy to manufacture, with President Volodymyr Zelensky setting a goal of producing one million units this year.

Fialkovsky said more domestic production also allowed Ukraine to respond quickly to developments on the front lines.

"Ukraine is unfortunately the biggest playground in the world" in terms of weapons, he said, but "nobody except us knows which equipment, which technologies we need."

Levkivsky served in the Ukrainian army, and the company wants to recruit more veterans.

Would-be employees have to pass a background check, with Ukraine's arms industry a prime target for Russian espionage and sabotage.

"We are constantly under the risk of being hit," Levkivsky added.

Skyeton's production is spread across several sites to make it less vulnerable, a common approach in the sector.

- Production 'boom' -

Working under bright white neon lights, around 10 employees were assembling drones at the Skyeton factory. Filming or photographing their faces was prohibited, another precautionary measure.

Nearby, other employees were testing and priming them for use. Every minute spent setting up in the field exposes soldiers to enemy fire, making rapid and successful launches essential, Levkivsky said.

The number of Ukrainian drone manufacturers has more than doubled to around 200 since Russia invaded in February 2022, according to the Ukrainian authorities.

"There was a massive boom last year, when they just grew like mushrooms," said Vadym Yunyk, chair of a nationwide association of drone manufacturers and co-founder of drone maker ISR Defence.

Despite the production surge, Kyiv is still not self-sufficient, especially with regards to microcircuits and chips that need to be imported.

"It is currently impossible to assemble a 100 percent Ukrainian drone," Yunyk said.

Drone types also vary greatly, from cheap self-detonating kamikazes to more sophisticated multi-use craft.

ISR Defence's R18 can drop explosives over enemy targets or be used to transport ammunition or supplies to soldiers on the frontlines, when delivery over land is too dangerous.

And Vampire combat drones, produced by a company of the same name, were used to deliver medicine and food to stranded villages flooded after the Kakhovka dam explosion in southern Ukraine last year.

- Arms race -

As the war drags into its third year, Ukrainian producers say they are locked in an innovation battle against their Russian rivals.

"They are learning to better disguise their UAVs, and we are learning to better recognise and neutralise them", said a spokesperson for Vampire, whose name was withheld for security reasons.

Fearful of providing Russia with valuable intelligence, drone makers keep their cards close to their chest regarding coming inventions and upgrades.

Skyeton said it was banking on artificial intelligence to help improve navigation and better detect enemy positions.

Drone makers hope more advanced technology can tip the balance of the conflict in Ukraine's favour and make up for Kyiv's manpower shortages.

"Europe, with all its desire to help, can only help with weapons -- but no one will give us people", Yunyk said.

"You can have a warehouse of weapons, but if there is no one to shoot them, then they are useless."

But Yunyk also noted that a "flock of drones" can be controlled by just one person.

"That's why we need to invest in this with all our might."

Related Links
UAV News - Suppliers and Technology

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
UAV NEWS
Shanghai University's new UAV route optimization model
Sydney, Australia (SPX) Mar 11, 2024
Researchers at Shanghai University, in collaboration with global experts, have introduced a transformative model for optimizing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) inspections in engineering projects. The study, featured in the journal Engineering, showcases an advanced mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model and variable neighborhood search (VNS) algorithm, pioneering a novel method in engineering management. The research team, led by Lu Zhen, Zhiyuan Yang, Gilbert Laporte, Wen Yi, and Tianyi Fan, has ... read more

UAV NEWS
UAV NEWS
Study reveals potential for life's building blocks from Mars' ancient atmosphere

Little Groundwater Recharge in Ancient Mars Aquifer, According to New Models

Three years later, search for life on Mars continues

Mining Into Mineral King: Sols 4110-4111

UAV NEWS
NASA and SpaceX complete docking system tests for Lunar Starship Lander

ILOA receives first lunar surface and descent images from ILO-X

To the Moon and back: NASA's Artemis II crew rehearses splashdown

As mission ends, US lunar lander could still 'wake' back up

UAV NEWS
New moons of Uranus and Neptune announced

NASA's New Horizons Detects Dusty Hints of Extended Kuiper Belt

NASA's Europa Jupiter Mission will be packed with humanity's messages

UCF scientists use James Webb Space Telescope to uncover clues about Neptune's evolution

UAV NEWS
Loathed by scientists, loved by nature: sulfur and the origin of life

Hold on to your atmospheres: how planet size affects atmospheric escape

CUTE's groundbreaking design paves the way for future small-scale space missions

Earth as a test object

UAV NEWS
Dream Chaser spaceplane nears flight readiness with completion of key pre-flight tests

MAPHEUS 14 high-altitude research rocket takes flight

HyImpulse readies SR75 rocket for historic maiden launch in Australia

Karman Space and Defense boosts ULA's Vulcan on Its Maiden flight

UAV NEWS
Chang'e 6 and new rockets highlight China's packed 2024 space agenda

Long March 5 deploys Communication Technology Demonstrator 11 satellite

Shenzhou 17 astronauts complete China's first in-space repair job

Tiangong Space Station's Solar Wings Restored After Spacewalk Repair by Shenzhou XVII Team

UAV NEWS
DART impact might have reshaped Hera's target asteroid

NASA's Planetary Radar Images Slowly Spinning Asteroid

Emirates mission to the asteroid belt complets PDR

Can astronomers use radar to spot a cataclysmic asteroid?

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.