Eyes in the Sky: A Comprehensive Survey of Ukrainian Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
- Matthew Parish
- Jul 14
- 4 min read

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have emerged as a transformative feature of the battlefield. Ukraine’s Armed Forces, fighting a numerically superior enemy, have turned to a diverse arsenal of drones to level the playing field, using them for reconnaissance, artillery correction, electronic warfare, and increasingly for direct attack. This essay surveys the wide spectrum of UAVs in service with Ukraine as of mid-2025, categorising each according to type and role, and including available technical specifications and payload capacities.
I. Tactical Reconnaissance and Artillery Correction Drones
These UAVs are the workhorses of the Ukrainian front, primarily used to locate enemy positions, guide artillery fire, and assess battle damage. Many are hand-launched, small, and expendable.
1. Leleka-100
Type: Tactical fixed-wing UAV
Origin: Ukrainian
Role: Artillery spotting, ISR (intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance)
Wingspan: 1.98 m
Range: 45 km
Endurance: 1.5–2 hours
Payload: EO/IR (Electro-Optical/Infrared) camera
Communication: Radio, with encrypted data transmission
Launch method: Catapult or hand-launched
Recovery: Parachute
Note: Widely deployed at battalion level.
2. Furia
Type: Tactical fixed-wing UAV
Origin: Ukrainian
Range: ~50 km
Endurance: 3 hours
Payload: EO/IR gimbal
Navigation: GPS and inertial
Notes: Frequently used with GIS Arta fire correction system.
3. PD-1 / PD-2 (People’s Drone)
Type: Medium-range tactical UAV
Origin: Ukrainian (Ukrspecsystems)
Range: 200–1,000 km (depending on configuration)
Endurance: 8+ hours
Payload: EO/IR, laser designators, optionally light munitions
Wingspan: 5 m (PD-2)
Launch: Catapult or runway
Recovery: Parachute or runway
Notable Feature: Modular payloads; PD-2 can carry small precision munitions.
II. Loitering Munitions (Kamikaze Drones)
These drones are designed to fly to an area, loiter until a target is identified, and then destroy themselves upon impact.
4. RAM II
Type: Loitering munition
Origin: Ukrainian
Range: ~30 km
Endurance: ~55 minutes
Warhead: 3–4 kg HEAT or fragmentation
Launch: Pneumatic catapult
Targeting: Real-time video or GPS coordinates
Use: High-value targets, tanks, artillery systems
5. UJ-22 Airborne
Type: Tactical UAV, occasionally used for strikes
Origin: Ukrainian (UKRJET)
Range: Up to 800 km
Endurance: ~7 hours
Payload: Up to 20 kg (in various configurations)
Navigation: GPS or pre-programmed waypoints
Notes: Sometimes adapted for long-range sabotage with explosive payloads.
6. Punisher
Type: Fixed-wing loitering munition
Origin: Ukrainian (UA Dynamics)
Range: 45 km strike radius
Endurance: ~30 minutes
Payload: 2–3 kg guided munition
Launcher: Catapult
Paired with: Spectre recon drone for targeting
7. Bakok
Type: Fibre-optic loitering munition
Origin: Ukrainian
Payload: 1–2 kg warhead
Unique Feature: Controlled via fibre-optic cable, immune to jamming
Endurance: ~20–30 minutes
Range: 5–10 km (limited by cable length)
Use: Precise targeting in contested EW environments
Status: Limited production but increasing field usage
III. Commercially Adapted First-Person View (FPV) Drones
Cheap, widely available, and often produced in garages or small workshops, FPV drones have become central to Ukraine’s tactical operations.
8. DJI FPV / Mavic Adaptations
Origin: China (civilian drones, adapted for war)
Range: 5–10 km (depending on signal booster)
Payload: Modified to carry 0.3–2 kg explosive (typically RPG-7 warheads, anti-personnel grenades, or shaped charges)
Navigation: FPV via analogue or digital video
Issues: Vulnerable to Russian EW
Strength: Mass production; swarms of drones used daily on all fronts
9. “Avdiivka FPV” and other indigenous FPVs
Origin: Ukrainian garage workshops
Specifications:
Flight time: 5–10 minutes
Speed: 120–150 km/h
Warhead: Shaped charge (~0.8–1.5 kg)
Control: Manual FPV (analogue)
Production: Tens of thousands monthly with NGO support
Use: Anti-armour, trench clearing, suicide attacks on vehicles
IV. Strategic and Medium-Altitude UAVs
These systems are fewer in number but provide critical long-range reconnaissance and precision strike capabilities.
10. Bayraktar TB2
Type: MALE (Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance) UAV
Origin: Turkey (Baykar Makina)
Range: 150 km (control), 300 km with satellite link
Endurance: 24 hours
Payload: Up to 150 kg (including MAM-L guided bombs, EO/IR sensors)
Notable uses: 2022 strikes on Russian convoys and Black Sea fleet
Operational Challenges: Less survivable in contested airspace with modern SAMs
11. Bayraktar Akinci (rumoured deliveries)
Payload: Up to 1,350 kg
Ceiling: 12,000+ m
Capabilities: Air-to-ground and potentially air-to-air missile integration
Status: Possible Ukrainian acquisition post-2023, not officially confirmed
V. Fibre-Optic Cable UAVs
These drones are connected via fibre-optic tether to their operators, providing immunity from electronic warfare — a critical advantage on the Russian-dominated electronic battlefield.
12. Sirko-S
Type: Fibre-optic tethered drone
Origin: Ukrainian
Range: Up to 5 km (limited by cable)
Endurance: Long — as power supplied via cable
Use: Real-time video feed over urban or trench zones
Payload: EO cameras only
Notable Use: Frontline overwatch; urban ISR in contested electromagnetic spectrum
13. Cyclops-M
Type: Fibre-optic cable micro-UAV
Payload: Lightweight EO camera
Endurance: ~1 hour
Features: Tethered and grounded power source; used to monitor Russian trench activity without GPS
Deployment: Discreet tactical surveillance, immune to jamming
VI. Naval UAVs / Maritime Drones (Bonus Category)
While not aerial UAVs, Ukraine’s war at sea has also seen the emergence of unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) with some drone features.
14. Sea Baby and Magura V5
Range: Up to 800 km
Payload: 200–300 kg of explosives
Guidance: Starlink-enabled remote guidance or inertial navigation
Speed: 70–90 km/h
Use: Strikes on Russian Black Sea Fleet ships and Crimean bridges
Note: Shares many command-and-control traits with aerial drones
Conclusions
The Ukrainian Armed Forces have constructed a multi-layered drone ecosystem – a term here used to refer not to commercial marketing jargon but to the complex interaction of tactical systems – combining state-manufactured UAVs, commercial adaptations, and homegrown FPV units. Unlike Russia, which often relies on centralised procurement and Iranian imports, Ukraine’s drone warfare is decentralised, creative, and constantly evolving. Ukrainian fibre-optic drones, although few in number, demonstrate the ingenuity required to circumvent Russian jamming and maintain situational awareness at close quarters.
The most significant development is the increasing integration of loitering munitions and FPV drones into standard military doctrine, reducing the asymmetry in artillery and air power. As Ukraine’s domestic defence industry scales up, and with ongoing support from foreign partners, her drone fleet is likely to become even more lethal, sophisticated, and autonomous in the coming years.