They'll "fly blind": what functions Ukrainian "deep-strike" drones will have in the future

Over the past few years, Ukrainian long-range UAVs have progressed from experimental solutions to more mature systems that are being considered as part of regular defense capabilities.

According to experts, changes have occurred in several areas. First, range has increased. Second, reliability has improved. Third, production has become more serial. Fourth, attention to resilience in electronic warfare conditions has grown significantly. Fifth, a more professional approach to quality, logistics, maintainability, and system upgrades has emerged. It is also important that the deep-strike segment is no longer a niche story. Ukraine officially speaks about scaling up production of unmanned systems, including long-range drones, and the NSDC assessed Ukraine’s production capabilities in the Deep Strike segment as of 2026 year at approximately 25 billion dollars. Thus, this is no longer just about engineering ingenuity, but about forming a new defense-industrial sector. According to the forecast of Culver Aerospace CEO Oleg Krot, in the next year or two deep-strike drones will become more autonomous, more resistant to electronic warfare, and more integrated into the overall reconnaissance and strike system. Manufacturers surveyed agree that in the coming years we should expect development of navigation under degraded GPS and communications conditions, as well as broader use of artificial intelligence elements to assist in navigation, object recognition, mission planning, and reducing operator workload. Also, the role of group employment has been gradually increasing recently, where an individual drone is not a standalone unit but part of a larger strike architecture. But the main change will not only be in the platform itself; it will be in the organization of the process. Experts predict that winners will not be those who once created "the best drone," but those who can constantly update the system, rapidly scale production, incorporate combat experience, and outpace the enemy in the adaptation cycle.

Earlier RBC-Ukraine reported that the Defense Forces of Ukraine carried out a successful attack on the Lukoil-Permnefteorgsintez refinery in Russia’s Perm, as well as an enemy training ground in the occupied part of Zaporizhzhia region. We also explained why Ukraine actually began striking Wildberries and what effect it expects. In addition, the Defense Forces recently struck one of the top 5 largest refineries in the Russian Federation and a boat base in Crimea.