Pilots of the 3rd Assault Brigade spoke about operating the Fury reconnaissance drone

The unmanned aerial complex Furia from Athlon Avia remains one of the most widely used and effective reconnaissance assets on the front line, according to drone operators from the Nachtigall unmanned systems unit of the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade.

After basic pilot training, further preparation is conducted within the unit under the supervision of an experienced operator before moving on to independent combat tasks. Operators note that the drone is one of the most common and resilient on the front line, predictable, and resistant to wind and radio jamming. According to them, the probability of completing a mission with Furia is close to 99%.

Crew members report that Furia is forgiving of human errors during launches and demonstrates high repairability in the field: in one example, after several failed launch attempts, the UAV landed in a field but remained intact; a subsequent launch was successful, and the combat mission was completed with artillery fire correction.

The design of the UAV features autonomous operation under communication jamming: when satellite navigation or links are unavailable, Furia returns home or lands in predictable areas, making it the least likely to be lost compared to other aircraft. The drone can also conduct flights in low-light conditions where some other platforms are ineffective due to camera light sensitivity.

The Nachtigall crews are participating in beta testing of updated battery kits for Furia. Previously, the battery life required returning the aircraft for replacement, resulting in the loss of important targets, such as Grad launchers, tanks, and self-propelled artillery, which moved away from the front line. The new batteries allow the UAV to track and engage targets up to their base locations.

In yesterday’s ‘Dorozvidka’, Defender Media covered the interview with the founder of Athlon Avia, Artem Vyunnyk, for The Page. He recalled how the drone industry began in Ukraine, the difficulties manufacturers have faced since 2014, how defence procurement changed after 2022, and why the drone business became profitable.