Ukroboronprom, Ukraine’s main defense company, said on Jan. 13 it has completed several stages of testing a long-range drone.
“We are talking, in particular, about the operation in the air and under the influence of radio-electronic warfare,” Nataliia Sad, Ukroboronprom spokesperson, said of the tests during a briefing.
The project to develop an unmanned aerial vehicle with a range of more than 1,000 kilometers and a payload of up to 75 kilograms “has reached such a stage that, unfortunately, we cannot talk about it,” Sad added.
The company has been working on developing the technology since the beginning of summer.
With Ukraine's partners refusing to provide long-range missiles in concern about the potential for "escalation", Ukraine has relied on innovative homegrown solutions for long-range strike capacity.
While Kyiv has not officially taken responsibility for the attacks, the two strikes upon the Russian Engels airbase in December, 600 kilometers from Ukrainian-held territory, are understood to have been carried out by some form of modified Ukrainian drone.
