Vampire bomber drones to be entirely produced in Ukraine by year's end: interview with leading drone maker SkyFall

SkyFall is one of Ukraine's most under-the-radar defence companies, yet its drones speak volumes.

The company produces Ukraine's most effective bomber drone, the Vampire, which Ukrainian troops use as their primary tool to hit Russian positions, with a huge lead over other weapons. The Vampire is one of the drones that the Russians collectively dub "Baba Yaga", referencing the infamous witch from Slavic tales – a name that captures the fear it sows.

SkyFall also builds the Shrike, a top choice for Ukrainian first-person view (FPV) drone operators, and has recently introduced the P1-SUN interceptor UAVs.

The manufacturer is grappling with multiple hurdles. Supply chain risks from China mean drones must be fitted with Ukrainian components. Russian forces are shooting down an increasing number of bomber drones, so new ways to protect them are needed. FPV drones must keep pace with battlefield needs, and the development of interceptor drones must move faster than Russia's production of Shahed loitering munitions, used by Moscow to terrorise Ukrainian civilians each night.

Ukrainska Pravda has discussed all these issues with a SkyFall representative, who goes by the alias Nirmata, at their stand at the World Defence Show 2026, which is currently taking place in Saudi Arabia. The company is seeking technological partners for production and is promoting its products to potential customers worldwide to secure funding for further investment in technology development.

How many people are working on building your drones?

Today the workforce numbers roughly 4,000.

Tell us about the evolution of the Vampire drone. How different is it from the earliest version?

The difference is enormous. If we had had the Vampire in its current form at the start of the full-scale war, no territory would likely have been lost. Compared to the original, it's better in every way: communications, range, resilience to electronic attacks, ease of operation, speed and design for production. That last factor now lets us produce a larger number of drones with consistent quality: previously, we could create 50,000 units a year, but now we can confidently say 100,000.

How much of the Vampire is actually built from Ukrainian parts?

All of the communication systems, antennas and chassis are ours, and the ground station is almost entirely ours. We've also got our own motors, though they're not yet in mass production.

We're developing our own camera – a prototype is ready, and by spring we'll have a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) (an early working version – ed.). Cameras for the Vampire will go into mass production by the end of the year.

We've got a "Vampire non-China" version right now – no Chinese parts at all. By the end of the year, the drone will be fully Ukrainian.

How has the cost of the Vampire drone changed since 2022?

We've brought the cost down to US$8,500 per drone. When production began, it could go up to US$20,000, depending on the configuration.

Is there still room for manoeuvre on the price?

Yes, but further reductions will be tricky. Once we have our own camera, we can cut the price a little, since our domestically made components are cheaper than Chinese parts. Still, going lower is tough because we're improving performance and introducing new modules with modern technology, which costs money. Even so, the most advanced Vampire currently sells for under US$10,000.

A lot of your bomber drones are getting shot down by the Russians. Is there a way to address this with technology?

Most of our bomber losses are caused by FPV drones. Our R&D team is focused solely on protection for the Vampire. Options include electronic warfare systems, a blinding device, a net launcher, or a small turret. Some things we're keeping under wraps. Let it be a surprise. We haven't yet decided whether each bomber will defend itself or if a "hunter" drone will protect the group.

In which direction are the bombers going next? Or have you already got everything you can out of the platform?

There's still plenty of room for development. Navigation is one area: we no longer rely solely on GPS as we did before. We're exploring visual orientation, inertial navigation, or ground beacons. For the Starlink-equipped version, satellite constellations could be used for orientation. Our goal is to ensure that, even when faced with jamming, the Vampire can complete its mission and return safely. Some of the technologies we're developing could become true game changers.

How much does the Shrike FPV drone cost today?

Prices vary depending on size and configuration. The most basic daytime model costs around US$300, while the top-end nighttime Shrike, controlled via fibre optics, goes for about US$1,500. Even so, these remain some of the most affordable drones in the world.

Is the Shrike's automatic target tracking fully accurate today, or is its machine vision still in its early stages?

I think machine vision could achieve much more if it were used more often. At the moment, it's hardly being used at all – the military doesn't make much use of it. This technology is really underestimated and needs more development.

It's part of a global automated combat system. We won't see any real breakthroughs without it. In the future, every drone will have a smart image-processing module and an analytical computing core that can make decisions based on the goals you set. Right now, it might not be obvious, but very soon, we won't even be able to imagine a drone without all of this.

How is FPV drone technology evolving at the moment? Has the platform reached its limits?

Fibre optics, size, repeaters and drone carriers. You can experiment endlessly with connectivity, swarm technology, mesh networks and DroneID. FPV drones, like our Shrike, are not a finished product. They can be refined further without increasing weight. Motors, propellers, batteries, cameras and AI are all evolving. Each evolving module adds a certain percentage to a target's destruction. A truly perfect FPV drone hasn't been created yet; we're still quite far from that.

Are Shrikes made with Ukrainian parts? Which components are already produced in Ukraine, and do you plan to make the drones entirely domestic eventually?

We already have 100% domestically-produced Shrikes that are completely moisture-proof. They significantly outperform their global counterparts. The only thing holding back mass production of entirely domestically produced drones is the state and capacity of production facilities, which are currently being scaled up.

You've just launched the P1-SUN drone interceptors. How many are you making right now?

We've been making them for three months. We've taken out more than 1,000 targets. These include 700 Shaheds. Everything is backed up by video.

How much does your interceptor cost?

About US$1,000. Further reductions aren't really possible unless we manufacture our own thermal sensors, and even then, the difference would be just a few dollars, not hundreds.

What direction will the development of interceptor drones take going forward?

It's machine vision with automatic targeting. It's an automated control and automatic launch. Our drone already has remote control and target tracking. Starting mass production is essential, though. The objective is to launch two interceptors and guarantee target elimination.

A separate challenge is training the people who will operate all of this. Our SkyFall Academy is handling that. Over the past two years, we've trained 20,000 pilots, technicians and engineers on all our equipment. As regards the interceptors, nearly 1,000 pilots have already completed training.

Is the government placing enough orders with interceptor manufacturers?

Are state orders sufficient to cover the needs of the front? We don't know. Do the contracts match our production capacity? We could always do more. But in our view, the state is doing everything it can at the moment.

Is the market short of drone assembly workers? How do you get around that and bring people on board?

We don't struggle with recruiting assemblers. People come from all walks of life. Seamstresses come to assemble drones, guys from car service stations come to assemble them. The market is big enough to find staff. We're also working to automate parts of the assembly process. We don't feel a shortage of people. Our academy helps anyone train for a specific role and start work as soon as possible.

Why do you find it essential to take part in the exhibition? (World Defence Show 2026 in Riyadh)?

Ukraine has demonstrated that our engineers are among the world's finest. Still, there's a long way to go before these innovations become a large-scale industry domestically and internationally. Our aim is to prevent Ukrainian technological achievements from being overshadowed by the global giants in weapons production.

Naturally, we keep an eye on new developments and technologies. Naturally, we look for something new, especially at exhibitions like this. However, whereas we once learned from others, we're now leading the way in technological innovation globally.

Which of your products do you see having the most export potential?

Absolutely everything. If a product works in Ukraine, it has export potential worldwide. Of course, depending on the country, weather, climate and mission requirements, drone configurations may need to be adjusted to meet local challenges. But Ukrainian engineers are well-equipped to handle that.

There's interest from all over: Germany, France, the US, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Japan and numerous others. Some of the countries that approached us, I hadn't even heard of before. If exports were fully open, many of them would already be willing to sign contracts for small quantities.

Translation: Artem Yakymyshyn

Editing: Susan McDonald