Lithuanian FORECASTER and AVENGER 5 UAVs Tested in Ukraine

Two UAVs developed by Lithuanian company Unmanned Defense Systems (UDS) — the FORECASTER reconnaissance drone and the AVENGER 5 strike drone — have been tested in Ukraine.

The company’s representative shared this with a Militarnyi correspondent at the MSPO exhibition in Poland.

The developer notes that the system was designed with experience from modern warfare and the combat use of UAVs in Ukraine in mind.

Both drones operate on their proprietary SwarmC2 command-and-control operating system. It supports multi-waypoint routing, flight-altitude selection, terrain awareness, moving-target tracking, and synchronized surveillance across multiple platforms.

The system also offers automated target data reporting and artillery correction.

AVENGER 5 strike drone

The AVENGER 5 is positioned as a mid-strike loitering munition designed to engage stationary and moving targets.

According to the manufacturer, after target acquisition, the AVENGER 5 can autonomously complete the strike without maintaining a constant radio link with the operator. Its claimed direct radio line of sight is up to 60 kilometers, while using a relay, the range can reach up to 90 kilometers.

The drone is equipped with electro-optical and thermal imaging systems for surveillance and can visually track targets. The platform can also operate using geographic coordinates.

The UAV has a maximum takeoff weight of 17 kilograms, a wingspan of 1.8 meters, and a length of 1.6 meters. It has a flight endurance of 90 minutes and a cruising speed of 31 m/s, and can reach up to 80 m/s during a dive. Its service ceiling is 5,000 meters.

The AVENGER 5 is equipped with a warhead weighing up to 5 kilograms. The manufacturer offers high-explosive (HE), high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT), and thermobaric versions.

The drone launches from a pneumatic launcher.

FORECASTER Reconnaissance Drone

The second system presented was the FORECASTER — a fixed-wing modular UAV designed to detect, identify, and track targets, determine their coordinates, and transmit information for fire missions.

The FORECASTER has a maximum takeoff weight of 7 kilograms, a 3.3-meter wingspan, and a 1.2-meter body length.

One of the system’s key features is its flight endurance of up to 4.5 hours.

The cruise speed in max-endurance mode is 14 m/s, while in max-range mode it is 16 m/s. The maximum speed reaches 26 m/s. As in the AVENGER 5, the claimed service ceiling is 5,000 meters.

The FORECASTER also features autonomous waypoint navigation, an automatic return-to-home function, and the ability to continue flying in the event of a loss of satellite connectivity.

For reconnaissance, the system uses a stabilized electro-optical station with day and thermal cameras offering a resolution of 1280×720 and a combined 40× zoom.

Lithuania is actively developing an integrated airspace monitoring and control system that will combine data from military and civilian radars and various sensors into a single ecosystem.