The Brave1 defense innovation cluster, together with Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, has tested reconnaissance drones of the Mavic type from nine Ukrainian manufacturers to assess whether the aircraft meet the military’s actual needs and the conditions of the modern battlefield.
According to Ukrinform, the Ministry of Defense announced this on its website.
The tests assessed the drones’ resistance to electronic warfare (EW), the quality of video links and data transmission, flight endurance, and other characteristics essential for operations on the front line.
Following the tests, manufacturers whose drones demonstrated combat readiness are already moving on to contract negotiations with the Ministry of Defense for subsequent deliveries to military units.
The Mavic has become one of the key tools for tactical-level reconnaissance, but the war requires UAV capabilities to be continuously improved.
As the kill zone expands, the military needs drones that can stay airborne longer, operate over greater distances and remain effective amid intensive electronic warfare. Civilian drones are increasingly failing to meet these requirements.
That is why the Ministry of Defense and Brave1 are systematically developing Ukraine’s domestic drone industry as an alternative to the Mavic.
Simply creating a copy of the Mavic is not enough. What is needed is a functional alternative: drones adapted to the conditions of the modern battlefield and the specific tasks facing the military.
The key requirements include:
EW resistance – the ability to operate under electronic jamming and without GPS;
flight endurance – at least 60 minutes in the air;
remote operation – the ability to operate over greater distances, allowing the operator to remain in a safer location;
ease of operation – a familiar interface for military personnel that does not require lengthy retraining.
The Ministry of Defense and Brave1 are continuing to develop Ukraine’s defense technologies to help the most effective solutions move more quickly from testing to contracting and equip the military with technologies that meet the actual needs of the front line.
Read also: Ground robotic systems complete record 31,398 logistics and evacuation missions in October
As Ukrinform reported, the Ministry of Defense and Brave1 are also working to scale up swarm drone control technology, which facilitates frontline logistics. Over the course of a month, one military unit doubled the volume of cargo delivered using the technology.
Photo: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine