Ukrainian company presents a new recon drone

Ukrspecsystems, a Ukrainian UAV maker, has presented its newly developed “smallest and lightest” drone at the exhibition of Brave1, a governmental coordinating platform established to promote collaboration between all stakeholders in the defense tech industry.

The Mini Shark drone, a system that can be accommodated in just two backpacks, is “a man-portable solution that allows you to take it everywhere with you. While packed with the same advanced tech as any other our drone, it enables you to do most of the tasks required by the modern environment, just in a bit smaller form,” according to the company’s website.

Dmytro, a manager with Ukrspecsystems, says they received many requests from the military for a smaller and cheaper drone and have responded to the request by developing Mini Shark.

He says the drone was developed primarily for reconnaissance tasks, such as those performed by artillery, special forces and ground troops.

The company unveils the following characteristics of the UAV, which will be available in the second quarter of 2023 upon completion of factory tests:

• 30 km communications range
• 2 m wingspan
• 2 hrs flight time
• Hand launch and automatic belly landing
• 5 kg maximum takeoff weight (MTOW)

According to ITC, Mini Shark can travel at a speed of 120 km/h at an altitude of up to 1,000 m. Optionally, it can be equipped with a 10x-zoom optoelectronic system.

Ukrspecsystems was founded in 2014 at the beginning of the Russian intervention in eastern Ukraine when the Ukrainian army did not have drones ready for full-scale war deployment.