Ukrainian company unveils kamikaze drone with 200 km strike range
Ukrainian defence company Uforce has developed and unveiled the Bucha, a mid-range kamikaze drone capable of attacking targets at a distance of about 200 km.
Source: Militarnyi, a Ukrainian military news outlet
Details: The Bucha fixed-wing kamikaze drone was unveiled at the Arsenal of Talents job fair in Kyiv. A Uforce engineer says the UAV can be equipped with various communication channels, particularly Starlink.
The plan is to launch the drones in groups operating on a mesh network. One drone in the swarm will be equipped with an additional battery instead of a warhead and will function as a signal repeater for the other UAVs.
"Launch is planned not from a conventional pneumatic catapult, but using a propellant launch charge from a compact launcher rail. Meanwhile, flight range is up to 200 km and warhead weight is 5.5 kg," the outlet said.
A Uforce representative explained that several aircraft could be launched in sequence from the launch system at intervals and a group of drones could be operated by one or several pilots. This system is in the modification stage.
The Bucha kamikaze drone is undergoing flight tests and combat tests are planned next. Depending on the communication type, the cost of a UAV will range from US$10,000 to US$12,000.
"There is also a simplified version with a 3.5 kg warhead and a range of 100-120 km. These drones are already at the stage of pre-mass production and have undergone combat use," Militarnyi writes.
Uforce positions itself as an integrator that has brought together Ukrainian defence teams in order to turn their developments into scalable products for Ukraine and allied armed forces around the world. The company invests in Ukrainian developers and manufacturers of technologies and systems, particularly Magura uncrewed surface vessels, Nemesis-series strike multirotor platforms, R18 bomber drones, ground robotic platforms and counter-drone systems.
Read more: Hitting the rear and easing the load on HIMARS: Ukraine's new mid-range drones
Background: Earlier, it was reported that Uforce had expanded the line of Nemesis unmanned aerial systems with new modifications – a one-way Nemesis kamikaze version and a reduced Nemesis-mini model. The company also attracted US$50 million in a seed funding round led by Shield Capital and Lakestar.
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