Ilya Vedmedenko 18:56, 30.03.26 UNIAN
Of particular importance is the time it took Airbus to create the fighter
Airbus has shown off a test of its low-cost unmanned anti-drone fighter, officially named Bird of Prey, the aerospace giant announced on its website .
Bird of Prey, formerly known as LOAD, combines a low-cost jet drone with a low-cost Mk I micro-missile from Frankenburg Technologies. According to Defense Express, it currently looks like an ideal solution for countering enemy Shahed UAVs.
The drone is based on the serial Do-DT 25 reactive air target, which has been armed and equipped with cameras for flight control and guidance. The reusable UAV has a take-off weight of 160 kg, a wingspan of 2.5 meters and a length of 3.1 meters.
As for the Mk I missile, it weighs about 2 kg and is capable of destroying targets at a distance of up to 1.5 km. Its homing system works on artificial intelligence algorithms. The Bird of Prey prototype was equipped with several air-to-air missiles, while the production version will be able to carry up to eight such missiles.
According to experts, what is particularly important in the case of the Bird of Prey development is the time it took Airbus to create the unmanned aircraft. Only about 9 months passed from the start of work to the first tests, which is practically a record for the Western defense-industrial complex.
The US military has previously reported that it is exploring the use of standard ammunition – including bullets, mortar shells and artillery shells – to destroy small drones, an approach seen as a more cost-effective alternative to specialized air defense systems.
It was also reported that Russia’s full-scale invasion forced Ukraine to become a pioneer in the field of drone interception . According to experts, the conflict in the Middle East could be a decisive stage for the country in entering this technology into the global market.
Another step toward the future by the good guys!