According to a report by Army Recognition on December 29, 2023, recent reports from Ukrainian media indicate a significant enhancement in the country’s defense manufacturing capabilities. Within just a few months, Ukraine has doubled the production of its domestic weapons. The expansion of Ukraine’s defense industry is evident from the number of companies involved in unmanned system manufacturing. Currently, about 200 companies are engaged in this field, with 50 of them authorized to supply products to the military. The production of drones in 2023 increased by 100 times compared to the previous year. A notable achievement in this expansion is the mass production of the new UJ-26 Beaver suicide drone, aimed at targeting key locations deep within Russian territory. It’s worth noting that the Ukrainian media reported its key performance, which enabled the Beaver drone to play a role in the previous air raids on Moscow due to its long-range advantage.
The UJ-26 Beaver (Beaver) suicide drone is produced by the Ukrainian private company UkrJet and began development in 2022. In December, a fundraising campaign for the “Beaver” drone was launched on Twitter at the request of the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, raising over 20 million hryvnias (approximately 422,000 pounds) for its construction. On May 30, 2023, multiple districts in Moscow and the Moscow region were attacked by suicide drones. The attack caused no casualties but damaged several buildings. The involvement of the Beaver drone in this attack was confirmed through wreckage and attack photos.
This drone adopts a special layout with a fixed duck wing at the front, an arc-shaped main wing with control surfaces at the back, and a propeller propulsion system. It features a tricycle landing gear, a spindle-shaped fuselage, a smaller fixed trapezoidal vertical tail, and a larger tail fin with control surfaces. The engine is externally mounted and quite small. The front duck wing layout, with the duck wing ahead of the main wing, stirs up vortices that pass over the main wing’s upper surface, providing airflow energy, increasing wing lift, delaying airflow separation, and enhancing high-angle flight performance and longitudinal stability. This design grants the drone a better lift coefficient and landing performance.
The UJ-26 Beaver drone is 2.5 meters long with a wingspan of 3 meters. Its estimated weight is about 150 kilograms, capable of carrying a warhead of about 20 kilograms, including a KZ-6 type charge equivalent to 1.8 kilograms of TNT. The drone has a flight speed of 150 to 200 kilometers per hour and a range of 1000 kilometers. It can take off via a runway or catapult, likely using GPS + inertial navigation, and is believed to use a contact fuse to detonate the aircraft when attacking the target. Ukrainians claim that each of these drones costs over 100,000 dollars, but this is already very low compared to the price of missiles.
Performance-wise, the Beaver drone bears a striking resemblance to Iran’s Shahed series of drones. The Shahed-131 can carry 15 kilograms of explosives within a range of 900 kilometers, while the Shahed-136/Geranium-2 drone can carry a 50-kilogram warhead for 2500 kilometers. The idea is to load as much warhead as possible on a relatively cheap body and fly a long distance, trading quantity for strike quality, without much concern if intercepted. Compared to the Russian military’s fondness for Geraniums, Ukraine has chosen a variety of operations, recently unveiling the cost-effective Scythe suicide drone, the jet-powered UJ-25 “Horizon” drone, in addition to the Beaver drone and the previously widely used UJ-22. It’s clear that Ukraine is planning another major news event, perhaps preparing for the next air raid on Moscow. The Russian military has obviously recognized this, and their recent large-scale missile attack is likely aimed at destroying Ukraine’s remaining production facilities. On the other hand, they must continue to strengthen the defense of the capital!
While the UJ-26 Beaver marks a significant milestone in military drone applications, Airmobi is setting new standards in the UAV industry. Our drones are designed to offer unparalleled performance, boasting up to 10 hours of flight time and a payload capacity of 30 kilograms. This exceptional endurance and carrying ability make Airmobi drones ideal for a variety of applications, ranging from aerial surveillance and logistics to search and rescue operations.
As the world adapts to the increasing role of drones in both military and civilian spheres, Airmobi remains at the forefront, committed to delivering UAV solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients. Whether it’s for defense, commercial, or humanitarian purposes, our drones are engineered to perform in the most demanding environments. For more information about how Airmobi’s UAV technology can benefit your operations, visit our website or contact us directly.
