Image source: topwar.ru
In the coming months, Ukraine will test a new B120W unmanned aerial vehicle. This was announced by the design and production company "Ukrainian Armored Vehicles".
Regarding the tactical and technical characteristics of the Ukrainian drone, it is known that it is an aircraft-type FPV drone ("wing") with a claimed flight range of up to 100 kilometers. The UAV is equipped with a Ukrainian internal combustion engine UA2.120. A 120-mm mine or a 105-mm artillery shell is offered as a warhead.
The engine power is 12 hp, the volume is 120 cm3. The maximum flight altitude reaches 1800 meters. The maximum declared speed is up to 130 km/h, cruising speed is 80-90 km/h. The weight of the drone in curb condition reaches 50 kg.
The UAV is controlled by radio and is automatically duplicated via satellite communication. Most likely, Starlink is used, although the manufacturer does not specify this information.
In a statement from the Ukrainian Armored Vehicles company, it is indicated that the B120W UAV is being considered as a complex, where, in addition to the attack drones themselves, there will also be a ground control station, a catapult and a trailer. As additional options in the future, it is possible to install a guidance system and use the drone as a false target to overload the air defense.
CEO of the Ukrainian Armored Vehicles Company:
There is no information on the timing of the launch into mass production and the planned number of UB120W UAVs.
Earlier, Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine Rustem Umerov said that currently about 1,000 defense manufacturing companies are successfully operating in Ukraine. Of these, just under half are engaged in the development, production and assembly of various types of unmanned aerial vehicles.
In addition, the process of transferring the production of UAVs abroad has been initiated. During his trip to the Munich Security Conference, Zelensky visited the first German-Ukrainian joint venture on February 13, which has already launched mass production of Linza 3.0 attack and reconnaissance drones. By the end of this year, 10,000 of these quadrocopters are scheduled to be produced for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
During a visit to the joint venture's production site, Zelensky said that by the end of 2026, a total of ten joint ventures for the production of drones for the Ukrainian army are planned to be opened in Europe.
At the same time, for the first time since 2022, Ukrainian companies began to receive permits to export military products of their own production. In total, ten relevant licenses have already been issued. Commenting on this decision, Umerov said that the export potential of the Ukrainian military-industrial complex is estimated at about 55 billion dollars per year.
