Ukrainian company develops aerial targets replicating Russian drones

Varta, a Ukrainian company, is creating a drone system that replicates Russian UAVs to help small fire teams and air defence crews practise. UAVs used in the system visually replicate the shapes of the most common Russian drones, such as the Lancet and ZALA.

Source: Varta at the Brave1 Components exhibition in Kyiv

Details: The developed system replicates Russian drones not only visually but also in terms of speed characteristics.

Initially, the company focused on tactical-level drone targets. Engineers built the first Lancet using their own funds, having the opportunity to study a downed sample.

After the model was shown to specialised personnel from the Brave1 tech cluster, the project received positive feedback and a development grant. The team used the funding to scale up production, carry out flight tests and build a replica of the ZALA drone.

Varta manufactures its drones from fibreglass and already has moulds in place for mass production.

The cost of one system is around UAH 2.1 million (about US$50,000). This covers 12 targets, a catapult and control and power systems.

Speaking with the Ukrainian military, the developers say there is strong demand for systems that imitate Gerbera and Shahed drones. The company plans to begin work on its first Shahed targets next year.

Serhii, a representative of Varta, said that potential customers include not only Ukrainian air defence units and training centres but also foreign countries. Interest in target systems across Europe has risen sharply following Russian Gerbera drone incursions into Polish airspace.

Air defence training currently often uses digital simulators, but the developer believes they cannot yet fully replace physical target systems for preparing mobile fire groups.

Background: At the Brave1 Components exhibition, Ukrainian company ARes presented an acoustic system for detecting Shahed-type loitering munitions and first-person view (FPV) drones. It was developed to help mobile fire groups detect drones more easily.

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