New X-WING Strike Drone from Lithuania, Priced at €10,000, Being Tested in Ukraine

Lithuanian company Granta Autonomy has introduced the loitering munition X‑WING — a light VTOL drone designed for precision strikes by infantry units.

Testing was launched in the spring. However, the company states that all claimed specifications have been thoroughly tested and confirmed.

“A small series of X‑WINGs is currently being manufactured and delivered for additional trials to frontline units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Continuous operational use at the front is being used as part of the system’s validation,” Gediminas Guoba, CEO and founder of Granta Autonomy, shared with Militarnyi.

Granta plans to reach a production capacity of several hundred units per month at the beginning of next year; the project architecture is designed for mass manufacture.

The X‑WING’s design combines the vertical take‑off and landing (VTOL) capability of a quadcopter with energy‑efficient winged cruise flight. This enables wide deployment without the need for specialized infrastructure.

“An endurance/range of 50 km is the initial specification, which will be improved. However, we will consistently balance the extended capabilities of the X‑Wing with its production cost,” Gediminas Guoba noted.

The warhead is designed to engage both armored targets and “soft” targets and radars through fragmentation.

The X‑WING is equipped with Granta’s own micro‑gimbal (Granta camera) – a powerful camera providing daylight imaging at long ranges and a thermal‑imaging mode for night. The gimbal also operates in GNSS‑denied environments.

The Granta Datalink data transmission channel is compatible with standard ground stations; the guidance system, incorporating artificial intelligence elements, helps detect camouflaged targets.

According to the developers, the X‑WING is difficult to intercept due to its speed, maneuverability, and simultaneous attacks by multiple platforms – a swarm increases the probability of success against C‑UAS systems.

Swarm coordination (a mesh link with high‑level autonomy) is being developed, but a fully featured “intelligent” swarm would currently make the system more expensive – therefore, the emphasis is on simple and effective mass‑launch tactics.

X‑WING (Granta Autonomy)

• Type: VTOL loitering munition
• Weight/payload: ≈12 kg / 4 kg warhead (ESAD)
• Range: up to 50 km
• Speed: > 40 m/s
• Sensor: daytime optics + thermal imager (Granta micro‑gimbal); operable in GNSS‑denied environments
• Comms: Granta Datalink – compatible with standard ground stations
• Production: tests completed; small series already in production; target — several hundred units/month
• Price (target): < €10,000 at mass production

Granta positions the X-WING as an inexpensive, mass-produced combat tool, featuring VTOL deployment, a 50-km range, a 4-kg warhead, and an operational onboard camera – all of which make the system useful for modern frontline units.

The Lithuanian drone manufacturer Granta Autonomy has developed and presented the new loitering munition X‑WING with vertical take-off and a flight range of up to 50 km.