Batyar, Ukraine’s Own Strike Drone — and It’s No Shahed

Just six months ago, the Batyar drone existed only on paper. Today, it has evolved into a strike UAV with capabilities far beyond long-range missions. The developers don’t compare it to the Shahed drone — instead, they see it filling a completely different niche. Although it is still the team’s very first project, it already shows remarkable potential.

The story began seven months ago, when a group of experienced aeromodellers and engineers founded DeepStrikeTech to bring their ideas to life.

Originally conceived as a kamikaze drone for deep strikes, the Batiar’s design and manufacturing process soon revealed broader possibilities.

“We can use the same airframe as a decoy, a bomber, or a frontline kamikaze drone. It all depends on the payload and software,” explains Viktor, a representative of DeepStrikeTech.

The 60-kilogram drone, powered by a gasoline engine, carries an 18-kilogram warhead in its long-range configuration and is capable of covering distances of over 800 kilometers.

Its compact size and relatively modest payload were deliberate design choices. At a time when drone platforms are growing heavier, the team aimed to build a lightweight UAV that could be launched from a catapult or a vehicle — without the need for prepared runways or specialized infrastructure.

Though its silhouette resembles the Russian Shahed drone, the similarity is only skin-deep. DeepStrikeTech engineers designed its aerodynamics from scratch, primarily using Western documentation. The result, they say, is a platform with exceptional stability — even when damaged during steep dive attacks.

“When diving sharply at a target, it stays on course even if it has been hit,” says the developer.

At a time when every strike operation involves dozens or even hundreds of missiles and drones, cost is critical. The Batyar strikes a pragmatic balance — at roughly $25,000 per unit, it is four times cheaper than platforms like the Bober or Liutyi.

A major cost driver is the drone’s advanced navigation suite. It combines a modern CRPA antenna and an optical navigation system to maintain accuracy, even under intense electronic warfare conditions.

The optical system compares the real-time landscape with satellite images to adjust its flight path. Though sensitive to seasonal changes or battlefield damage, machine vision algorithms help it stay on track.

If optical navigation is unavailable, the system defaults to inertial navigation supported by satellite correction via a CRPA antenna. Built by a Ukrainian supplier, this antenna is critical to ensuring the drone reaches its target, even hundreds of kilometers away.

Interestingly, during early testing, the team used captured Russian CRPA Kometa antennas salvaged from downed Russian drones. This clever approach helped significantly reduce the costs of testing their initial prototypes.

“We modified Russian CRPA antennas — our partners repaired the components and upgraded the software. In terms of performance, they’re on par with our own, maybe even slightly better,” a company representative noted.

In addition to the advanced strike drone built on this fuselage, DeepStrikeTech developed a decoy version designed to overwhelm enemy air defenses. Visually identical to the strike variant, the decoy costs just about $3,500. It includes only basic controls and omits expensive systems like an optical module and CRPA antenna. Instead, it carries devices to amplify its radar signature and attract defensive fire.

Frontline Drone

For frontline missions, closer to the front line, an 800-kilometer range is excessive. By reducing fuel capacity, the team increased the payload capacity to 26–30 kilograms for missions within a 100-kilometer radius.

The control system was also upgraded to include a camera for manual piloting, i.e., directly from the operator’s console, providing more flexibility in target selection.

According to the developers, this drone fills a critical gap between loitering munitions used against vehicles and full-scale deep strike UAVs, like the Liutyi. Currently, this niche remains unfilled in the Ukrainian market, despite significant demand — protected enemy personnel and ammunition sites are often located just behind the front lines.

The Batyar drone has significant modernization potential, which will eventually allow for a much heavier drone with a more powerful warhead to be built within the same fuselage, the developers say.

“We are keeping the option open to increase its power. In the future, without changing the molds or additional equipment, we can install a warhead weighing 60–80 kg in this fuselage. This will simply require using different structural materials, more powerful engines, and different launch systems—these will be rocket boosters,” the company explains.

For now, the company prefers not to discuss future projects, as they want to focus on completing the current one. In addition to the technical aspects, they have developed a production method that supports rapid scaling.

“The drone’s modular design remains repeatable, simple, and fast to produce. We can train a new technician to handle airframe assembly in 7–10 days. That opens the door to large-scale and decentralized manufacturing across Ukraine,” the team notes.

The Batyar drone is in its final stages of development. The team plans to begin combat testing within the next month, completing the final integration of navigation systems.