The drone, called SHOT-L1, can strike targets up to 80 km (50 miles) away and is priced at UAH 416,000 (about $9,300) per unit on the platform. The manufacturer has not been named, and there is no information yet on whether the drone has been codified, the formal approval that admits a product into service with the Ukrainian military.
An operator sends the SHOT-L1 toward the area where a target is believed to be, and once the drone reaches the assigned zone, an onboard system scans it for radio emissions, works out the direction of a detected source and steers the drone onto it automatically. If it picks up several emitters at once, the drone goes for the strongest one, the manufacturer says.
If no active signal turns up within a set time, the drone switches to a backup mission and attacks a fixed ground target chosen before launch.
The SHOT-L1 carries a 4 kg (8.8-pound) payload and cruises at 100 km/h (62 mph) with up to 60 minutes of flight time. It has a thermal camera, an analog video link and a terminal guidance system for the final approach.
