Ukrainian defence tech company Vyriy Industries has unveiled a new tactical reconnaissance drone, Slavic. According to the developers, it enables reconnaissance crews to operate at a safer distance from the line of contact and stay airborne for longer. The company’s press service reported this.
Vyriy Industries explains that the need to create a specialised Ukrainian tactical reconnaissance platform arose because conditions on the modern battlefield have changed. The kill zone has expanded and in some sections of the front now reaches 20 km in each direction. At the same time, the tactical range of available commercial drones limits crews’ ability to work at a safe distance from the line of contact.
“The war has changed, and with it the working conditions for crews. The kill zone has expanded, while available commercial drones have a limited tactical range. The main task now is to provide the military with a specialised platform that flies longer and farther, so crews can operate further from the line of contact. That is exactly why we began developing Slavic,” says Vyriy Industries founder and CEO Oleksii Babenko.
According to the developers, Slavic’s key advantages are increased time aloft, greater tactical operating range, and adaptation to the experience of commercial UAV operators. Familiar control logic and automated functions—holding altitude and position, automatic return and landing—allow crews to switch to the new platform quickly without lengthy retraining.
Slavic is equipped with a 40,000 mAh solid-state battery, providing up to 1.5 hours of flight time. Its tactical operating range is up to 30 kilometres, allowing reconnaissance of the forward edge while keeping the crew at a safer distance from the engagement zone.
The aircraft can operate without GPS—Slavic uses optical positioning for navigation. The communications system works across a wide range of channels, making it possible to select a less jammed channel and perform better in complex terrain.
For observation, Slavic is fitted with a daytime digital 2K camera (2560 × 1440) on a three-axis stabilised gimbal with 10× optical and 30× hybrid zoom, Vyriy Industries says.
The system is supplied as a ready-to-use out-of-the-box package—with all the equipment needed to operate without additional field modifications. According to the developers, the included controller supports integration with the DELTA and Kropyva situational awareness systems, as well as video streaming to the VEZHA app directly from the controller.
The company added that Slavic has successfully completed its first combat testing with seven units of Ukraine’s Defence Forces. Based on operational use, Vyriy Industries collected feedback from crews and is taking it into account in the platform’s further development.
In parallel, the team is working on new Slavic configurations: testing thermal imaging modules for night reconnaissance and using the platform as a relay carrier. The company is also preparing the platform to scale up production and supply to Ukraine’s Defence Forces.
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Vyriy Industries is a Ukrainian technology company that develops and mass-produces autonomous systems for use in real combat conditions. The company operates on the principle of asymmetric advantage and is building an integrated ecosystem of solutions shaped by the military’s practical experience to cover key frontline missions—reconnaissance, communications, strike, and logistics.