Ukraine’s military export agency, Ukrspecexport, unveiled the Sokil-300 unmanned combat aerial vehicle at the biennial International Defence Exhibition and Conference (IDEX).
The Sokil-300 (Falcon-300) is a strike drone developed by the Kyiv-based LUCH Design Bureau. It is a surveillance and reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) developing for the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The Sokil-300 drone is armed with four guided missiles with a range of up to 10 km. It can carry a maximum payload of 300 kg, has a maximum takeoff load of 1,225 kg, and can attain a maximum speed of 335 km/h. The drone has a wingspan of 14m and a length of 8.57m.
As noted by the LUCH, the baseline version of UAV includes the MC-500B engine manufactured by Zaporizhia-based Motor Sich and an advanced version features the Austrian, turbo-charged Rotax 914 engine with a maximum flight time of 26 hours, a distance of 3,300 kilometers (2,050 miles).
In addition, earlier in November 2020, LUCH’s chief designer, Oleh Korostyliov, said that total development costs of the Sokil-300 are expected to reach 40-45 million Ukrainian hryvnias ($1.4-1.6 million), a far less expensive option than purchasing similar drone systems abroad.