On September 29-30, the fifth Wild Drones military sports competition was held in Bukovina among the best unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) combat crews of the Ukrainian Defense Forces.
Twenty teams participated in the competition: 17 teams from combat units of the Ukrainian Defense Forces and three teams from training centers that train UAV operators. Participants included representatives of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, and the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. Most of the service members arrived at the competition directly from combat zones. The training centers competed for the championship in a separate category.
This time, Wild Drones was held under strict secrecy with enhanced security measures.
Over the course of two days, participants competed in piloting Shrike FPV drones, Vampire (Baba Yaha) heavy bombers, and DJI Mavic quadcopters. The disciplines were based on the real combat experience of Ukrainian UAV operators and simulated the tasks that service members perform daily on the front lines.
The general partner of Wild Drones is the technology and defense company "SkyFall." To ensure fair competition, participants used identical unmanned systems manufactured by SkyFall – Shrike FPV drones and Vampire (Baba Yaha) heavy bombers. At the event, the partners unveiled the "Thor Hammer" middle-strike drone for the first time. The title partner of the competition is the Ukrainian unmanned systems manufacturer Vyriy Industries.
According to the organizers, one of the highlights of the fifth anniversary competition was the presentation of Wild Family – an ecosystem of military-sports projects that brings together the Wild Drones UAV operator competition, the Wild Race military-sports competition, as well as a new upcoming category – Wild Ground Robotic Systems – dedicated to ground-based robotic systems.
The competition is organized by the 93rd Separate Mechanized Brigade "Kholodny Yar," NGO Wild Race, the Dovzhyk training center, and Creative Agro Service LLC.
These competitions served as the second qualifying round of the 2026 Wild Drones season. Based on the results, ten more top teams of the season were selected. Next, the strongest participants from the qualifying rounds will face off in the finals, where the winners of the 2026 season will be determined.
In the FPV discipline, first place went to the 421st Separate Unmanned Systems Battalion of the Airborne Assault Forces, "Sapsan." The winners received three Vampire systems. Second place went to the Combat Hawks Unmanned Systems Battalion of the 25th Airborne Brigade. The team received two Vampire systems. Third place went to the 429th Separate "Achilles" Unmanned Systems Brigade. Their prize was one Vampire system.
First place in the team standings went to the 429th Separate "Achilles" Unmanned Systems Brigade. The team received a mobile UAV command post from Thor's Haven, as well as a UAH 800,000 grant from Chernivtsi Regional State Administration. Second place went to the fifth Border Guard Detachment "Prime." The team received a certificate for UAH 500,000 from Vyriy and a UAH 500,000 grant from the local military administration. Third place went to the 36th Separate Marine Brigade's "Vartovi" UAV Unit. The team received a certificate worth UAH 500,000 from one of the competition's partners, as well as a UAH 300,000 grant from the regional state administration.
