Ukrainian military unveil Litavr interceptor drone in action – photos
The Ukrainian Litavr interceptor drone is capable of reaching speeds of approximately 350 kilometres per hour.
Source: Armiia Media report
Details: The UAV was developed by Ukrainian company F-Drones. CEO Stanislav Khutor says the interceptor drone was named after Cossack kettledrums – lytavry. The drone has a stated operational radius of 40 kilometres, though military personnel have deployed it at greater distances.
"The peak distance achieved literally a few days ago by one of the Unmanned Systems Forces units was 84 kilometres from the take-off point. That was with a tailwind and with all the nuances involved, but they got there and completed the mission effectively," Stanislav stated.
The drone has gone through several development stages. The current version of the Litavr is equipped with, among other things, an auxiliary target identification system and an automatic target acquisition and tracking system.
"All drone versions are now supplied with both a daytime and a thermal imaging camera because attacks come in combined form and in practice we never know which to use at any given time. It is possible to switch between the two during flight," the F-Drones CEO explained.
The warhead for the UAV is installed in the nose section. Military personnel can fill the warhead container with their own explosives or order it with a codified variant.
"If the pilot has armed the aircraft but no target has been found, they switch the initiation board to safe mode and calmly bring the aircraft home," one of the military personnel who deploy Litavr drones stated.
The company uses components of its own manufacture in the drone. In particular, F-Drones produces its own motors and flight controllers and aims to use more Ukrainian-made parts. The interceptor drone's body is cast, with some elements printed on 3D printers.
"We cast all the forms and this process is already well established. We still print the 'head' a little, because there are certain aspects with the small components," the company's CEO stated.
Background: It was previously reported that the F10 strike FPV drone manufactured by F-Drones became the second Ukrainian finalist in the first stage of the US Pentagon's Drone Dominance programme.
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