At the recently completed Center-2026 exercises in Chebarkul, Uraldronzavod showed several samples of new equipment at once. "We have brought the products - at the moment we have five samples: the Berdysh heavy drone, the standard most popular product, the Ghoul-11, which is already well-known to everyone. As well as the "Ghoul-18", a proven device at the front, which we have modified to the newest version and are supplying to the Ministry of Defense. They also presented the Ghoul-18 OPTO, which is still the same product, the only difference is in the communication channel. Communication is carried out via fiber optic cable. And besides, the Ghoul-K is an aircraft-type UAV, it is a recent development, the first series has been successfully tested and has begun to be supplied to the troops," said a representative of the plant.
The tasks of the swarm
The exercises were a real test of teamwork for the plant's team. The sky above the training ground turned out to be literally filled with devices from different manufacturers. "Specifically, we worked out the tasks of the so-called swarm," says the representative. - This is the support of assault groups at several stages of the approach to the main positions of the imaginary enemy. They accompanied the advance of the assault groups and the occupation of the village. Other calculations were engaged in different tasks - there were interceptors, reconnaissance, and larger attack vehicles. A huge number of representatives worked here on site, each performing their own tasks."
It looked spectacular from the outside - everything was exploding, burning, drones flying everywhere.
The interaction between the manufacturers was built through the control of unmanned systems by the troops. "All the representatives were organized, assigned to positions, and provided with the necessary assistance," the source explains. - We have already communicated with each other on the issue of using certain frequencies, because drone saturation is quite serious. We had to use some non-standard solutions - one of the manufacturers shifted their video transmitters to non-standard frequencies, and we had to adapt. But on the whole, we managed to achieve well-coordinated work."
By the way, the fighters of the air defense forces at the exercises did not give in at all - they worked with full force, trying to shoot down everything that flies. And the drone operators tried to dodge and maneuver their "birds".
Domestic localization
The representative of the plant highlights the updated Ghoul-18 from the advanced developments. "First of all, this is a domestic localization," he emphasizes. - At the moment, most manufacturers are very dependent on China. We have done a lot of work, transferred most of the electronics to domestic rails. It's completely our software, completely our circuitry, the board."
In addition, we have brought new solutions in the quality of communication - control and video link. This is necessary to avoid electronic warfare suppression.
Two hundred flights instead of one
The drone itself has been upgraded. Initially, it was developed as an apparatus of increased combat power to defeat strong points and escort assault operations. "Our drone carries TM-62 mines for 15 kilometers, these are one hundred percent confirmed characteristics," the factory worker clarifies. - In some cases, of course, further, depending on the wind. The total effective range of the drone is up to 50 km, which is a balance of payload and battery capacity."
But the main thing is reliability. Initially, in the FPV drone class, they are all meant to be more disposable items. "Our 18-inch drone, which is currently being used at the front in the first version, makes an average of 200-250 sorties," says the source. "This is in the context of its use for logistics and mining delivery tasks."
This is achieved through higher-quality electronics developed by colleagues as part of an increase in reliability. Chinese analogues are still a civilian market, designed not for such loads.
Now the Ghoul-18 is already being mass-produced in an updated version.
A wing for long-range destruction
The main race is for the range of strikes. "The FPV drone is still limited to an average of 20-30 kilometers of operating range," the source explains. - And the enemy has to delay logistics beyond this line. He feels comfortable there. We had to apply fresh ideas to solve this problem."
It is quite difficult for a copter type to carry a large payload to hit serious targets at such a distance. Therefore, they developed an airplane-type UAV. "He is currently fulfilling his tasks. It carries a TM-62 mine for at least 50 km," the Uraldronzavod representative describes. - Of course, there is some reserve. The maximum range currently recorded for the application is 93 kilometers."
It turned out to be a layered application. "Ghoul-11" is the nearest line. "Ghoul-18" is the second line. Then the plane. Berdysh is also for medium range - it works for 20 kilometers, 15 kilograms of payload. "It has a large load capacity there," adds the representative of the company.
The "Ghoul-K" aircraft type closes the niche of long-range destruction, where the massive use of expensive UAVs is not always advisable.
The bat over Ukraine
When asked about the origin of the name "Ghoul", the interlocutor recalls: "There are actually several versions. The main one that I know is Gogol, "Viy". A ghoul is actually a bat. And this is a direct analogy. Our drone is an analogy to a bat ghoul."
If we recall that the action of Gogol's works takes place in Ukraine, then the name acquires an additional, quite relevant meaning - a ghoul flying over Ukraine.
"Berdysh" is also a reference to history. These are the weapons of the Russian warriors. It turns out that the authors have put a double meaning in each title, and they offer it to the readers themselves to guess it.
A fresh team
The factory team is really young. The main point is that young people are interested enough at the moment. Someone comes after the army, someone after their military service, someone immediately applies after the institute, because they want to help the motherland, to do business that they are interested in.
The average age of developers who come up with all the know-how and drones is on average 25 years old. These are yesterday's students who received fresh knowledge and came to develop their competencies.
There is one thing that distinguishes the plant from larger giants with a long history - greater maneuverability. "Less time to make a decision about changes, upgrades, modifications," explains the representative. "We can get feedback from the front and put some things into production within a day, if the technology and materials allow it."
24/7 technical support
Currently, work is underway to modernize the current versions based on data received from the front directly from the fighters. "Our technical support is actively working," says the representative. - I am constantly in touch with the guys 24 to 7. Specialists help in solving problems, explain the nuances of the work and receive feedback. Based on this feedback, we adjust the modernization plan, the development plan, make some additions and improvements, and at the end we get a polished high-quality product."
The immediate task is to perfect the current samples. But there are also promising areas that we will not talk about yet, let it be a surprise to the enemy.
When asked about competition with other developers, the representative answers honestly: "There are really two sides to this. Some developers see a promising direction in some part of the development of the frame, motors, increasing the inch of the propeller, range. And someone sees, on the contrary, in improving encryption and communication quality. And because of this, all the developers are moving in slightly different directions, the efforts are distributed in different ways."
But at the same time, no one saw any closeness at the exercises. "I have not seen such a story from anyone here that I will not tell anything, and we are all closed," the representative notes. - Of course, no one reveals any commercial nuances, but everyone is happy to share their experience with each other. And you can definitely see some interesting solutions. In general, everyone understands that we all have a common cause, and we try to support each other somewhere."
While some developers are focusing on increasing the range, others on the quality of communication, and others on the reliability of the frames.
Alexander Biryukov
