Drones We Need - Specs, Volumes & the Anti-Drone Ask
A concrete requirements brief from real front-line demand: what to build, to what spec, in what quantities, and where your anti-drone capability and factory fit. Prepared by Rafael Vieira (AI/IoT integrator) for our partnership discussion.
Date 2026-05-29From Rafael Vieira · rafael@deploystaff.comFor Yuri (anti-drone + drone factory)
What this is
You offered to partner and asked what drones we need. This is that answer, grounded in two warm, funded front-line units we already work with - not a wishlist. I bring the funded customers, capital, and an AI/IoT + quality/traceability layer; I am looking for a Ukrainian manufacturing and anti-drone partner to build to these specs.
The headline: the front-line pain is reliability (fiber cable that snaps, batteries that die) and jamming - and anti-drone is now a top priority on the line. Your factory plans and anti-drone line map directly onto items 1, 2 and 6 below.
Internal note (not part of the handout): "Yuri" is a working placeholder for the anti-drone partner - Rafael's "very good friend" who runs an anti-drone company in Ukraine, owns a drone manufacturing plant in Kyiv ("ready to buy, ready to partner"), and is a professor at the biggest university in Kyiv. The ground-truth record does not yet confirm the name "Yuri"; confirm the actual name (and the Kyiv university) before this is presented. The Krakow Saturday meeting (~2026-05-30/31) is where this partner is qualified.
01 The demand (why this is real money, not a wishlist)
The 155th Brigade
paid customer · our contact is its UAV commander
Our contact is a UAV commander in the 155th Brigade; his commander approved working with us. Buys with brigade money (a brigade-budget estimate of ~$500-800k/month official channel, plus e-points + charity), and will also take donated units for feedback.
In-person meeting set for Dnipro; flies fiber + radio FPV at 10-30 km, payload 1.5-4.5 kg.
Funds via government supply + a self-purchase budget + Yabali e-points + charity.
Wants a 10-12 unit batch to test, then routes results to commanders.
Buying paths: brigade discretionary budget (fast), the DOT-Chain marketplace + Brave1 listing for unit orders, the Army-of-Drones e-points system, and charity/volunteer funds. Production orders need codification / Brave1 listing; donations do not.
02 What the units fly today, by unit (the bar to match)
The exact models our two contacts named, attributed to the unit that named them, with researched specs - the competitive set you would be matching or beating. Sources are cited per block. Full spec sheet: fleet catalog · Brave1 market. Tentative spellings and unconfirmed makers are marked.
Dimas · 155th Brigade
His own list, all fiber-optic FPV, payload under 4.5 kg. Model names transcribed from field chat (tentative); the makers behind Goryn, Uryi and Ronni are not yet identified. Source: uploads/may-29/extracted/dimas/_chat.txt · price decode.
Model
Class
Maker
Size
Payload
Range
~Price
Operator note
Beshket (top of the top)
fiber FPV
not public (Brave1-listed)
~10"
1.5-4.5 kg
15 / 20 / 25 km
~81,800-117,800 UAH (~$1,960-2,820)
His best-rated; also in Serhii's fleet (the overlap).
Uryi (tentative)
fiber FPV
unconfirmed
~10-13"
1.5-4.5 kg
10-30 km
~$1,800 class
Balanced, good tank/load; unstable in strong wind. Distinct from Serhii's "Vyriy OPTO" (often conflated).
Goryn (tentative)
fiber FPV
unconfirmed
~10-13"
1.5-4.5 kg
10-30 km
~$1,800 class
Top digital camera; release/landing reliability issue.
Ronni (tentative)
fiber FPV
unconfirmed
~10-13"
1.5-4.5 kg
10-30 km
~$1,800 class
Stronger optics, worse camera (a tradeoff).
DROZD · General Chereshnya
anti-drone
counter-UAS (unconfirmed)
-
-
-
-
Now critical for Dimas. Rates DROZD #1 and General Chereshnya #1 co-best counter-UAS.
Dimas's general requirements. Fiber-optic 10-30 km, payload 1.5-4.5 kg. Three gradations he uses: (1) fiber-optic FPV (preferred vs jamming), (2) radio + digital FPV, (3) Starlink/satellite (costs more, price is the barrier). His stated pain is the fiber cable + battery quality, not the airframe; when the cable snaps mid-flight he loses both signal and control and the drone disappears. Hard line: no autonomous targeting of humans (AI acceptable only for vehicles/large targets). Buys with brigade money. Source: uploads/may-29/extracted/dimas/_chat.txt · wiki/entities/dimas.md.
Serhii · 419th Separate UAV Battalion
His full fleet by class. Model names are his first-hand list (from the Brave1/Delta catalog); makers, payloads, ranges and prices are project-research estimates to cross-check on Brave1. Source: serhii-fleet-specs.html · wiki/concepts/drone-fleet-catalog.md.
Wing targeting drone locks, strike drone released. Two operators.
Matrice retranslators
special: relay
DJI (Matrice)
-
-
relay to 400-500 m
-
Signal repeaters flown high to extend FPV range.
Serhii's general requirements. Battalion is tactical-only (~30 km). Fiber 15-30 km but now too costly, reserved for high-value targets. Emerging need = retranslator-enabled + wing-recon drones. #1 pain = signal loss / jamming. Auto-aim was tested and rejected (slow lock, imprecise). Wants 10-12 test units for statistical validity. A Brave1 listing is required for production sales (donations are exempt); procures via e-points among other channels. Source: wiki/entities/serhii-smirnov.md · serhii-fleet-specs.html.
The overlap and the MVP target
Beshket and General Cherry / Chereshnya appear in both fleets - they are the benchmark models to build against.
MVP target: a 10-13" fiber FPV, 3-4 kg payload, 15-20 km RELIABLE range, at ≤~$2,800. The differentiator is not a new airframe - it is a verified cable + battery + a QC report, exactly the reliability gap both units describe. Source: wiki/concepts/drone-fleet-catalog.md · serhii-fleet-specs.html.
03 Drone requirements (prioritized)
Target specs derived from what the two units fly and ask for. Priorities: P1 = build first, P2 = rising demand, P3 = secondary, AD = anti-drone (your specialty).
Both units' workhorse. The real failure is the cable snapping mid-flight and undersized/fake batteries - reliability is the whole game.
P1
Radio FPV, anti-jam
7-13"; frequency-agile / multi-channel control + HD digital video (ELRS + DJI O-class or equivalent); day + night/thermal option
Jamming + signal loss is the #1 killer; needed for fast deployment and jammed zones. (We can hand the brigade test units immediately.)
P2
Long-loiter multi-camera FPV
Tactical range; high-capacity battery; 2-3 cameras (forward + rear watch + front night/thermal); landing legs for standby mode; relay-compatible
Direct spec from the 419th: a recon+strike hybrid that can sit in standby and watch an approach.
P2
Retranslator / wing recon+relay
Fixed-wing or heavy-lift relay; loiter 1-2 km altitude; good optics; relays signal to FPVs; Starlink option for longer reach
The efficient tactical play right now - extends FPV range and finds targets. Highest-growth niche per the units.
P3
Heavy night bomber ("Baba Yaga")
Hexa/octo; 4-15 kg payload; thermal/night; reusable
The 419th flies these at night; secondary but recurring.
AD
Anti-drone / counter-UAS
Interceptor drones (fast, ram/detonate vs enemy recon/strike FPV + Shahed) and/or detection + EW. Your call on what you field.
Your specialty. The brigade rates this critical now (names DROZD and General Chereshnya as the bar). This is where you lead.
04 The quality bar (where we add value)
Verified, not just cheap
The market is full of drones; what the front lacks is trust. Every unit we deliver should carry a short test/traceability report. Specifically:
1. Fiber: verified G.657.A2 that holds its rated length (no mid-flight snap); spool QC.
2. Battery: genuine cells (no counterfeit), correctly sized to the frame, matched to ESC + motors.
3. QC + traceability: per-batch test results, component provenance, and a survivable failure-attribution record - our AI/IoT layer.
05 Quantities & phasing
Phase
Volume
Purpose
Phase 1 - validate
10-20 units (mixed P1) + a 10-12 donation batch for the 419th
Field test with the brigade + donation feedback; prove reliability before scale.
Phase 2 - first orders
~100-300 units/month addressable per brigade once it performs
Paid brigade orders via DOT-Chain / brigade budget; recurring.
Phase 3 - scale + anti-drone
Multi-unit, plus anti-drone line
Expand on reputation; add your counter-UAS products.
06 What I'd like to learn from you tomorrow
A prioritized, rationale-backed set, against your real assets: the Kyiv factory, the anti-drone line, and a possible build-to-spec. The starred three are the ones to land if time is short.
What can the factory build today versus in 3-6 months, what is your monthly capacity, and is it your own airframe or assembly to spec?
Qualifies the asset. "A plant in Kyiv" is a headline until we know whether you design and produce, or assemble parts to a spec, and at what volume. This sizes everything else.
What anti-drone products do you field today - detection, EW, or interceptors - with specs, price, and Brave1 codification, and can you match DROZD or General Chereshnya?
This is your specialty and a top front-line ask now. Dimas rates DROZD and General Chereshnya the best counter-UAS. If you can field or codify something in that class, it leads the partnership.
Can you build a 10-13" fiber FPV to the Beshket / Vyriy-OPTO envelope - 3-4 kg payload, 15-20 km - with a VERIFIED cable and battery and a QC / test report?
The MVP both units point to. The win is not a new airframe; it is reliability proven on paper - verified cable + battery + QC. Can the factory actually deliver that?
Where do you source fiber and at what price - G.657.A2 grade or import - and how do you hold the rated length at range?
Cable that snaps mid-flight is the named failure. Good fiber has no Ukraine availability and lead times run months; an import angle (we are exploring it) may matter. We need a real price and a way to guarantee the km.
How do you QC fiber, batteries and electronics - batch sampling or 100%, with traceability, failure records, and Molicel cell authenticity checks?
Random sampling is where front-line failures hide; undersized or counterfeit-cell batteries are a known fraud. This is exactly where our test / traceability layer plugs in, so listen for whether you test by eye.
Do you cover radio-FPV and bomber-class drones too, or would we partner out for those?
Serhii's fleet spans radio FPV and night bombers ("Baba Yaga" class). Knowing what you cover in-house versus partner-out tells us how much of the demand you can serve directly.
What is your status on Brave1 / DOT-Chain listing, and what is the realistic turnaround?
A Brave1 listing is the gate to production sales (donations are exempt). If you already hold it, you are the localization key; if not, that is the slow road for both of us.
What pricing bands per category, and what payment terms - the state pays 30-60+ days after delivery, so who floats the working capital?
Indicative unit prices set the margin room. The cash-flow gap (net 30-60, sometimes never) has sunk producers; we need to know who carries it before any order.
How would you structure a partnership - co-production, JV, or licensing - including IP, capacity, and exclusivity?
Frames the deal and protects our AI/IoT contribution. Do not promise exclusivity before Illia is scoped - keep options open until the manufacturer picture is complete.
Can you supply 10-12 test units for Dimas and Serhii to field-validate before any order?
Both units want a 10-12 unit batch for statistically meaningful feedback. Putting real units in front of them is the fastest path from "interesting" to a paid order.
Can you confirm your real name and the Kyiv university you teach at?
Housekeeping that qualifies the relationship: the ground-truth record does not yet confirm "Yuri" or the named university. Get both on the record at the meeting.
Note on figures. Specs reflect what two operational units told us (ranges/payloads/models); some drone-model names come from field chat and may be spelled loosely - happy to align against the Brave1 catalog. Quantities are honest phased ranges, not commitments. I'd rather start small and reliable than over-promise.