Fedorov: Ukrainian “Lancet” drones will soon be tested in combat conditions

18 February, 2024 Ukrainian loitering munition Perun. Source: YouTube channel PRESSING. Two Ukrainian analogs of the Russian Lancet kamikaze drone have already passed preliminary tests and will soon be tested in combat conditions.

Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister of Digital Transformation, announced this. "It is very important for us to create an analog of the Lancet drone, a drone that can strike at 40 kilometers. And it's very important that it can operate during the day, like FPV drones," Fedorov said.

The Deputy Prime Minister also noted that the drones have a target tracking function that allows them to be guided in the last part of the flight in the absence of direct communication with the operator.

Ukrainian loitering munition. Photo credits: State Transport Special Service.

According to Fedorov, four Ukrainian drones have recently been tested, and two tests were successful. In the future, in a few months, it will be possible to organize the production of about 100 such UAVs per month.

"This is a technological product, so we couldn't launch it immediately, we had to launch the market. There will be 2-3 products on the market that compete with each other, and in a year, there will be a dozen such companies," the Deputy Prime Minister said. At the beginning of February, Militarnyi reported that Ukraine announced the launch of mass production of loitering munitions similar to Russian Lancet drones.

Lancet loitering munition.

Photo credits: Vitaly Kuzmin

Mykhailo Fedorov then reported that the drone can hit targets at a range of up to 40 km. Last August, the defense industry introduced a new Perun loitering munition. As previously reported, the Ukrainian defense industry will produce more than 1 million FPV drones during 2024.

Fedorov also reported that the state delivered 50 times more drones in December 2023 than in all of 2022.