The Ukrainian company F-Drones has expanded its product line and presented its F-CAPTAIN middle-strike unmanned aerial system. It was designed specifically to carry out missions while countering enemy electronic warfare (EW) systems. This was reported on the manufacturer’s Facebook page.
“Middle-strike drones have already become true gamechangers at this stage of the war. The key targets for our CAPTAIN are radars, air defense systems, warehouses, command posts, and enemy logistics. These are precisely the targets whose destruction significantly weakens the enemy’s capabilities,” emphasized Stanislav Khutor, CEO of F-Drones-UA.
It is reported that the F-CAPTAIN strike system is designed to engage stationary and moving enemy targets at an operational-tactical range of up to 100 km, bridging the gap between close-range weapons and strategic long-range systems. It combines high precision with sufficient power to destroy priority enemy targets. With a maximum takeoff weight of 27 kg and a wingspan of 3 meters, the drone can carry up to 10 kg of payload. The aircraft is equipped with a quiet electric power plant, and it is fitted with a daytime camera and a thermal imaging camera for round-the-clock reconnaissance and guidance.
“The Middlestrike from F-Drones is designed specifically to perform missions in challenging conditions while countering enemy electronic jamming. Thanks to its proprietary navigation and control software, the system can operate without a GPS signal and easily integrates with radars, air defense systems, and GIS platforms. For uninterrupted communication, a secure channel supports Starlink, as well as digital and analog video. “Even if communication is completely lost during the final leg of the flight path, the integrated autonomous target recognition system and the Last Mile module still guarantee a high-precision hit on the target,” the company states.
The developers explain the strike system’s name by reference to the clear hierarchy within the military structure of UAVs.
“FPV drones are the ‘sergeants’ on the front lines. Heavy deep-strike platforms are the ‘general staff’ operating deep behind enemy lines. CAPTAIN is a mid-level ‘officer’ who realistically maintains control over combat operations at the tactical depth. Carrying out combat missions at ranges of up to 100 km with standard FPV drones is ineffective, while using strategic deep-strike systems is impractical from an economic and logistical standpoint. CAPTAIN perfectly fills this gap, making the destruction of enemy equipment and logistics systematic and precise,” F-Drones emphasizes.
It was previously reported that Ukraine exported ready-to-use combat drones to the U.S. for the first time. 2,000 F10 strike FPV drones from F-Drones were shipped to the U.S. as part of the Drone Dominance project, which is being implemented for the U.S. Department of Defense.
It was also reported that, following a decision by the European Commission, the Ukrainian defense company F-Drones became one of the founding members of the newly established EU-Ukraine Drone Alliance.
