Ukraine Develops MERCURY Drone With Vertical Takeoff Capability

The Ukrainian company Aviation New Technologies has unveiled a new reconnaissance drone, MERCURY.

MERCURY, equipped with vertical takeoff capability, has already undergone battlefield testing and has been codified by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

ANT assures that MERCURY is a fully Ukrainian-made drone developed in collaboration with the military.

It is designed for tactical reconnaissance, fire adjustment, surveillance under active electronic warfare (EW) conditions, and target detection.

“We don’t just build drones — we adapt engineering solutions to the challenges of real warfare, providing the military with effective and resilient tools,” the developers say.

According to the developers, MERCURY is capable of flying up to 200 kilometers.

“Our drone doesn’t need to be adapted to the realities of the front — it was specifically designed for the conditions of war with Russia,” the development team noted.

Key specifications of the MERCURY drone:

• Maximum flight range is up to 200 km
• Range without connection, with onboard recording is up to 100 km
• Range with real-time video transmission is up to 70 km
• Setup time from deployment to takeoff readiness is up to 15 minutes
• Flight duration is up to 3 hours
• Operational altitude – up to 1,200 meters; speed – 65–90 km/h
• Dual optics: daytime camera with 270x zoom and 640×480 thermal imager
• Electronic warfare protection: dual independent communication channels; operates effectively under active EW conditions
• Adaptive software with three flight modes: manual, autonomous, and GPS/GLONASS waypoint navigation
• Capability for launching from any 5×5 meter area – no catapult needed, suitable for rough terrain and mined zones

“Thanks to its vertical takeoff and landing engines, the drone is easy to launch — it only requires a 5×5 meter area. This saves time and eliminates the need to search in advance for a mine-free field, land wherever possible, or risk damaging the camera on bushes and ‘plowing the ground,’” the representatives of ANT say.

It is noted that the system had a NATO Stock Number (NSN) and was listed in the official supply catalog of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The system includes:

• MERCURY drones — 2 units
• Ground control station (laptop, monitor, joystick, control panel, antennas, tripod, charging devices) — 1 unit
• Transport cases — 2 units (one for the drone, another for the control station)

MERCURY has already undergone combat testing in border areas. For this purpose, ANT collaborated with the units of the Unmanned Systems Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, and Operational Command North.

This is not the first Ukrainian drone with vertical takeoff and landing capability. The Ukrainian company Buntar Aerospace has also developed a VTOL reconnaissance drone, Buntar-1.