This company profile is a part of The Air Current’s Special Report on the Ukrainian drone industry, which is available here.
Founded in 2014, Ukrspecsystems is one of Ukraine’s most established unmanned aerial vehicle manufacturers. Its first product was the PD-1, dubbed the “People’s Drone” — a long-range system that was designed to be accessible and maintainable. Today, its product portfolio includes four primary UAV models: the PD-2, for special operations and missions over 110 miles; the Shark and Shark-M, for mid-range intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance and artillery fire correction; and the Mini Shark, a compact system that is launched by hand and designed for tactical flexibility.
“Each system has its own missions and tasks, which it performs better than the others,” the company told The Air Current by email. “Most importantly, they can operate both individually and as part of a unified system — our software and ground equipment are compatible and follow a shared logic across all models.”
Ukrspecsystems estimated that 80% of hits by Ukraine’s M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems (HIMARS) are guided by its Shark unmanned aerial systems. To enable this level of efficiency, the company said, “our service team actively maintains and assists crews operating on the front line, ensuring “that systems stay in the air, stay connected, and stay combat-ready.”
Over the past decade, Ukrspecsystems has evolved into a full-cycle manufacturer, developing not only aircraft and software but also its own electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) gimbal systems, catapults, ground control stations and batteries. “This approach, owning the quality, cost, and performance of every part, led to the launch of a separate business line: UAS Components,” the company said. “Think of it as a high-end store for drone manufacturers and integrators. Not nuts and bolts, but field-tested, combat-proven ready-to-use components like catapults, parachute modules, and communication units that are already in service with Ukrainian brigades.”
Looking to the future, Ukrspecsystems said it is focused on making operators’ work “easier, more efficient, and less physically and mentally demanding. One operator should be able to work with multiple drone types from a single ground control station, using the same software interface. Once you learn to fly one system from Ukrspecsystems, you can operate nearly the entire fleet. From there, it’s just a matter of picking the UAV that best fits the mission profile,” the company said.
“Strategically, we see value in equipping one unit with a full range of systems to form a complete reconnaissance-strike complex,” Ukrspecsystems continued. In this concept, the company’s Terminal software suite would gather, analyze and visualize all reconnaissance data, with the operator then employing the PD-2, Shark, Shark-M or Mini Shark, as appropriate, to confirm a target.
“Once a target is confirmed, a strike drone is brought in. This kind of modular integration builds a real-time network that ensures seamless coordination, simplifies logistics and cuts operating costs, can be quickly adapted to changing mission needs [and] offers unified training through shared interfaces and procedures.”
Write to Elan Head at elan@theaircurrent.com
