The UAV was developed to guide artillery fire deep behind enemy lines
© Ukrspecsystems / Twitter
A Ukrainian company has unveiled a drone tailored to spot targets for Western-supplied artillery.
The ‘Shark’ UAV, developed by the firm Ukrspecsystems, was designed to fly reconnaissance and surveillance missions up to 60km (37 miles) behind enemy lines, tracking targets at a distance of 5km (3 miles).
The aircraft is said to be resistant to jamming and can spot targets for artillery fire. According to the newspaper Ukrainskaya Pravda, it can work in tandem with Western-supplied long-range weapons, including the US-made M142 HIMARS multiple rocket launchers.
“Today, the Shark is fully ready to be used on the battlefield,” the company said in a statement on Thursday. It earlier described the aircraft as “the perfect scout – quiet, fast and durable.”
Now officially! Proud to present our new drone – #SHARKWe started working on it already after Feb 24, in conditions of full-scale invasion of the rf.And in less than half a year, SHARK was already flying.Completely 🇺🇦 drone – from idea to production.Just beautiful & effective pic.twitter.com/YD4opSRGNG
— Ukrspecsystems (@ukrspecsystems) October 27, 2022
Ukrspecsystems said that work on the drone started after Russia launched its military operation in the neighboring state on February 24. Both Moscow and Kiev have extensively used surveillance and attack drones during the conflict.