First Thousand Ukrainian Mavics Went to the Front Line

Ukrainian industry has begun supplying the military with reconnaissance drones, designed as a domestic analogue of the Chinese DJI Mavic.

First Deputy Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov announced this during the Defense Tech Valley conference. “One investor created a Ukrainian Mavic, and we have already delivered the first thousand to the battlefield,” he said.

Fedorov noted that the drone is not fully Ukrainian-made, due to either the level of component localization or the use of foreign-made parts.

Although compared directly with the Chinese DJI Mavic, the new drone has a longer flight range and a larger payload, suggesting it can also carry out strike missions using free-fall munitions.

The introduction of Ukrainian drones in this category is significant, as they are used for front line short-range reconnaissance and support for assault groups. Their compact size and ease of use make them accessible not only to unmanned system specialists but also to regular infantry.

“Until February-March of this year, the Mavic was primarily used to target infantry with ‘drops.’ Now we are seeing more impact from FPV drones,” Fedorov added.

However, front line reconnaissance demand still exceeds supply. A batch of 1,000 drones can meet the monthly needs of a single infantry or mechanized brigade, while total requirements for the Defense Forces likely number in the tens or hundreds of thousands.

Ukrainian Mavic

State interest in replacing Chinese drones, which have played a strategic role in the conflict, emerged last year. This effort included events showcasing proposals from Ukrainian manufacturers.

Militarny’s correspondents visited one such event, where eight Ukrainian companies presented prototypes: Kryuk, Yautja, PD10ND, Roksolyana, Ukropter, ZOOM, Ptakh-S, and Shmavik. By the end of the year, four had passed testing and were codified by the Ministry of Defense.

The developers offered solutions integrating Ukrainian-made components, including both simple mechanical parts and advanced electronics such as digital communication systems.

Militarnyi published a detailed review of the prototypes, their capabilities and cost comparison in its article “Domestic Drones That Can Potentially Replace the Mavic 3.”