The US Army will purchase Ukrainian Raybird reconnaissance drones. The supply contract was signed with the US division of the Ukrainian company Skyeton. This was stated in a summary from the US Department of War.
“Skyeton Inc. has been awarded a fixed-price contract for the procurement of Raybird unmanned aerial vehicle equipment and services in the amount of $10,640,000,” the statement says.
Under the contract, Skyeton is to deliver the drones by around 15 December 2026. The place of performance and exact funding will be determined separately for each order. The department also noted that Skyeton Inc.’s bid was the only one submitted during the online request for proposals.
The basic model of the Raybird fixed-wing reconnaissance drone was developed back in 2016, and in 2018 the ACS-3/Raybird aviation system was adopted into service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine; since then it has been continuously improved and modernised.
According to data from the Ministry of Defence, it can remain in the air for up to 28 hours and cover distances of up to 2,500 km. The drone’s speed is 80–140 km/h. Thanks to these characteristics and its compact form, it is able to bypass enemy air defence systems and areas of active electronic warfare in order to conduct visual reconnaissance from altitudes of up to 5.5 km and carry out other tasks. The unmanned aircraft can also carry 5–10 kg of payload. The Ministry of Defence added that, as of 2025, Raybird drones have completed more than 350,000 hours of combat sorties.
“The ‘highlight’ of one of the latest versions of the system is the integration of a laser guidance system for precision-guided munitions, which operates with accuracy to within a metre. This is the only drone in its class to have such a system, and its effectiveness has already been proven in real combat. Laser target designation works at a sufficiently long distance from the target to ensure a precise strike while preserving the system’s carrier platform,” the Ministry of Defence said.
The Ukrainian company Skyeton in 2024 opened a joint venture in Slovakia. Investment in the company’s new plant totals $3.5 million.
Skyeton signed another co-operation agreement with the Spanish company Escribano in March 2026. The companies will jointly develop and manufacture strike laser-guided systems based on Ukrainian-made unmanned systems.