The Ukrainian engineering company AVIATION NEW TECHNOLOGIES (ANT) has introduced a new reconnaissance unmanned aerial complex. The UAV complex MERCURY, featuring vertical takeoff and landing, has already passed battlefield testing and received codification from the Ministry of Defense and NATO.
ANT assures that MERCURY is a fully Ukrainian-made vertical takeoff and landing (V-TOL) drone developed in cooperation with the military. It is designed for tactical reconnaissance, fire adjustment, surveillance in conditions of active electronic warfare (EW), and target detection.
“We are not just creating drones — we adapt engineering solutions to the challenges of real war, providing the military with effective and resilient tools,” say the developers.
Key features of the MERCURY UAV complex:
- Up to 200 km — maximum flight distance.
- Up to 100 km — flight range without communication, with onboard recording.
- Up to 70 km — flight range with real-time video transmission.
- Up to 15 minutes — drone assembly time from deployment to readiness for takeoff.
- Up to 3 hours — flight duration.
- Operating altitude — up to 1200 m, speed — 65–90 km/h.
- 2-in-1 optics: daytime camera with 270x zoom, thermal imager 640×480 resolution.
- Electronic warfare protection: two independent communication channels, operable under active EW conditions.
- Adaptive software and three flight modes: manual, automatic, and via GPS/GLONASS routes.
- Can take off from any area of 5×5 meters — no catapults needed, suitable for difficult terrain and mined zones.
“Thanks to vertical takeoff and landing engines, the drone is easy to launch: it requires only a 5×5 meter platform. This saves time and eliminates the need to find a mine-free field beforehand, to land anywhere possible, or risk damaging the camera on bushes or ‘plowing the ground,’” ANT explains.
The complex is NATO-coded and listed in the Ukrainian Armed Forces supply catalog.
The UAV complex includes:
- 2 MERCURY drones.
- 1 base station (laptop, monitor, joystick, control panel, antennas, tripod, chargers).
- 2 transport cases (one for the UAV, one for the base station).
MERCURY has already undergone combat trials in border regions. For this, ANT cooperated with units from the UAV forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the Defense Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, and the Northern Operational Command.
“Our UAV complex does not need to be adapted to frontline realities — it was designed specifically for the conditions of war with Russia,” the development team emphasizes.
