Homegrown drones redefine Ukraine’s war technology

Ukraine is ramping up production of domestically made drones to replace Chinese DJI Mavics, with the first thousands of Ukrainian models already deployed to the front lines.

For years, DJI’s Mavic series has dominated the consumer drone market, offering compact design, long flight endurance, and advanced AI-assisted navigation at an affordable price, Caliber.Az reports, citing Forbes.

Both Ukrainian and Russian forces have widely used these drones for reconnaissance, artillery targeting, and tactical strikes.

However, replicating the capabilities of DJI’s Mavic has proven challenging. Ukrainian engineers have now introduced several alternatives, including the Yautja (“Shmavik”) developed by Ukropter and the Zoom drone by Frontline Robotics.

The Yautja model offers extended range, high resistance to jamming, and improved reliability, while the Zoom drone is equipped with AI-powered visual navigation that enables it to operate without GPS and return automatically if communication is lost.

Although some Ukrainian manufacturers remain dependent on imported parts, local production capacity is rapidly growing.

Frontline Robotics says only about 15% of its components come from China, while essential elements such as engines, flight controllers, batteries, and thermal cameras are increasingly being made in Ukraine.

The Motor-G plant alone now produces over 100,000 drone engines per month, ensuring a stable supply to the defence sector. 

Experts note that while Ukrainian models remain more expensive than DJI’s Mavics, they are better suited for combat conditions and less vulnerable to electronic warfare interference.

By Jeyhun Aghazada