“Flight range up to 2500 km. What is the Ukrainian ACS-3 drone capable of behind enemy lines and how does it compete with Boeing October 16, 06:32 NV Premium Share: Since 2018, the ACS-3 unmanned aerial system has been in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and is actively used in combat missions against enemy of the army (Photo: Skyeton) Author: Roman Feshchenko Roman Knyazhenko, CEO of the company that produces a drone with a record flight duration of up to 28 hours and a maximum range”, — write on: ua.news
The ACS-3 unmanned aerial system has been in service with the Armed Forces since 2018 and is actively used in combat missions against the enemy army (Photo: Skyeton)
Roman Knyazhenko, CEO of the company that produces a drone with a record flight time of up to 28 hours and a maximum range of 2,500 km, talks about the military missions of the unique drone and its use on the front.
The use of various unmanned systems by the Defense Forces of Ukraine — from ground-based robotic platforms to attack aircraft and surface drones — has fundamentally changed modern warfare. The effective use of domestic and foreign drones has shown that a country with a significantly smaller military potential and army is able to gain an advantage over an asymmetrically larger enemy army.
Domestic drone manufacturers have long been participating in the latest arms race and are actively strengthening the Ukrainian army with their products. Since 2018, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been armed with the ACS-3 unmanned aerial system from the Ukrainian company Skyeton with an exceptional duration of continuous flight – up to 28 hours. The drone has a maximum declared range of up to 2,500 km, and a flight height of up to 4,500 m, which makes it unreachable by the enemy’s portable or mobile air defense systems.
From the beginning, the ACS-3, which also has a model for civilian use, the Raybird, was developed as an aircraft complex for data collection and processing in the most difficult conditions and over a large area. But during the operation of the drone at the front, its functionality has expanded significantly and, in addition to reconnaissance capabilities, it can act as an air defense vehicle, deliver cargo to Ukrainian defenders or strike at the enemy.
NV got an exclusive opportunity to visit the assembly shop and asked Roman Knyazhenko, CEO of Skyeton, about how the drone has proven itself on the front, how many such systems are needed by the Armed Forces and whether the air complex is used over the territory of Russia.