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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Vyriy Industries is preparing to scale up a new reconnaissance system, SLAVIC, which is already being used by some units of the Defense Forces. The drone itself has not yet been shown publicly, but the company plans to present it soon.
Vyriy Industries CEO Oleksii Babenko spoke about combat trials of the new system in an interview with "Military." According to him, SLAVIC was created as a next-generation reconnaissance copter that operators familiar with DJI Mavic should be able to master quickly without lengthy retraining.
SLAVIC is already operating in combat conditions
The first systems were handed over to Defense Forces units for testing directly at the front.
One of the main requirements for SLAVIC was that the transition from civilian quadcopters already familiar to the military be simple. According to Babenko, during one rotation a new crew had no prior experience with SLAVIC at all, but was able to switch to the new system quickly.
"My task was that a Mavic operator could, without training, take this drone, take all the equipment, connect it and start working," Babenko explained.
In effect Vyriy is trying to keep the operators' familiar logic of operation while substantially increasing the platform's capabilities.
Up to two hours in the air
The current version of SLAVIC can stay airborne for approximately 1,5 hours. After switching to new batteries, the company expects to bring this figure up to two hours.
For a reconnaissance copter this means a significantly longer time on station and the ability to keep the crew farther from dangerous zones.
According to Babenko, flight endurance is one of the main differences between SLAVIC and the usual Mavic.
The drone remains unpublished so far
Although SLAVIC is already undergoing combat verification, Vyriy Industries has not yet shown its appearance publicly.
The company has also not yet disclosed the full list of specifications, the components of the system, or the specifics of its sensors.
A presentation is expected soon. After it, Vyriy promises to provide more details about the new platform's capabilities.
The new drone is being prepared for scaling
Alongside combat trials, the company is already preparing SLAVIC production for larger volumes.
This means that the current stage of development is essentially a check before wider delivery to the troops. Feedback from the first crews should help make changes before serial production.
For Vyriy this continues the shift from individual FPV platforms to a broader ecosystem of unmanned systems. Earlier, Military 24 reported on the interceptor drone ZIRKA, created by NOCTIS with support from Vyriy Industries.
Later the developers also demonstrated automated interception of a fast aerial target with ZIRKA, where some of the search and tracking work is already handled by onboard automation.
SLAVIC develops a different direction — tactical aerial reconnaissance. And although the machine itself remains off-camera for now, it is already being tested where it was designed to operate — in real combat conditions.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Заміна Mavic для фронту: що відомо про секретний дрон SLAVIC". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Channel 24.
