Solutions to win: Ukraine tests its new jet-engine attack drone
Photo: Max Glushak
Ukraine has successfully tested a new kamikaze drone with a jet engine, according to the Army of Drones initiative, Rubryka reports.
What's the problem?
The Ukrainian-Russian war has long shifted into the "engineer's battle" — a technological war. While it might be too early to claim that Ukraine has fully developed a drone aviation industry, it's rapidly growing, and Ukrainian inventors have found new solutions to help the army repel the enemy.
What's the solution?
Ukraine has conducted the first flight of a new kamikaze drone on a jet engine.
From the published photos, the drone follows a "Duck" aerodynamic scheme with a front horizontal wing. The rear part houses a power unit of an unknown type, representing a jet engine, given the presence of air intakes. Additionally, there's a high likelihood that the engine thrust is adjustable.
The kamikaze drone has a straight wing with Hornet-type winglets, providing extra lift and aiding against "Dutch roll" due to weak directional stability.
Photo: Max Glushak
How does it work?
Volunteers from the "Volunteer Battalion" charity fund participated in testing the new kamikaze drone.
For takeoff, the drone requires a special trolley, which is discarded during ascent and remains on the runway.
The published video shows the drone's takeoff, acceleration, altitude gain, and maneuvers in the air.
"We successfully tested very powerful birds on a jet leash! All for the sake of Victory!" said Maksym Hlushak, a volunteer from Khmelnytskyi.
Soon, the volunteer promised to provide more details about these UAVs.
Photo: Max Glushak
What do we know about the "Army of Drones" project?
In July 2022, the Ministry of Digital Transformation, in collaboration with the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and the State Special Communications Service, announced the first fundraising campaign for the "Army of Drones" within the UNITED24 fundraising platform.
The initiative has been in operation for over a year. During this time, Ukraine has established mass production of drones, combat UAV squadrons, and training for drone operators — the project's main achievements.
Within a year, the UNITED24 fundraising platform raised $325 million for the project. The "Army of Drones" has trained 10,000 UAV operators.
As Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov noted, Ukraine has increased drone production and quantity by more than 100 times compared to the previous year.
There's a real boom in drone production in Ukraine, primarily due to the government's efforts to streamline procedures for developers and manufacturers of defense and military equipment. The Cabinet of Ministers allocated ₴40 billion this year for investments in Ukrainian drone producers.
