Aerial reconnaissance of 5 artillery brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have received 5 Shark unmanned aircraft systems.

The reconnaissance unmanned aircraft systems were transferred by the Come Back Alive Foundation in cooperation with the OKKO gas stations network.

The drones were purchased with donor funds within the framework of the “EYE FOR AN EYE” charity project.

Domestic Shark systems will help Ukrainian artillerymen to perform combat tasks. This time, the unmanned aircraft systems were received by, as follows:

• 26th Artillery Brigade;
• 40th Artillery Brigade named after Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas the Great;
• 47th Artillery Brigade;
• 48th Artillery Brigade;
• 55th Artillery Brigade “Zaporozhian Sich”.

Currently, 19 out of the 25 Shark systems purchased by the Come Back Alive Foundation in cooperation with the OKKO gas stations network as part of the “EYE FOR AN EYE” project are already operating in the forefront.

Each system consists of the following elements:

• two drones with a Full HD camera equipped with an electro-optical sensor having 30x optical zoom and additional digital zoom, able to track targets even at an object speed of 100 km/h;
• a catapult launcher;
• a ground control station with a navigation system and workplaces for pilots, integrated into a four-wheel drive minibus.

The charity project of the OKKO gas stations network and the Come Back Alive Foundation was launched on November 1 last year.

For the purchase of the domestically produced UASs, 325 million UAH were raised. The fundraising lasted about five months and ended in April of this year.

Artillery brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have already received the first Shark systems.

Before operating the new equipment, military personnel undergo appropriate training. During the campaign, 25 crews were trained to operate the UAS.

Shark

The Shark unmanned aerial system is a development of the Ukrspecsystems. The UAS is equipped with a highly reliable communication module and a modern camera system that allows it to go deep into the enemy’s rear (up to 60 km) and conduct surveillance at a distance of up to 5 km between the unmanned aircraft and the object.

Shark UAS duration reaches four hours. It has an operating temperature between -15 °C and +50 °C and a maximum flight speed of up to 150 km/h.