Ukrainian Mavics and Russia’s Rubikon

While Ukrainian military units remain heavily dependent on the Chinese Mavic drones, supply limitations have led to persistent shortages of these systems. It is logical that Ukrainian manufacturers have begun producing Mavic analogues and have already fielded 1,000 domestic systems.

However, this is still far from meeting frontline needs — and it highlights an important difference between Ukrainian and Russian realities. While Russia has a massive inventory of all types of drone systems, Ukrainian solutions remain limited in number, forcing Ukrainian personnel to use these scarce resources with extra care.

In this edition:

• Ukraine Starts Mass Production of Domestic “Mavics”;

• Russia’s Rubikon: What Drives Its Success in Drone Warfare;

• Drone Customization to Military Units’ Needs: The Example of TAF Industries;

• and 10+ additional developments in drone warfare in Ukraine and Russia.

Thank you for reading and supporting my work!

Ukraine Starts Mass Production of Domestic Mavics

Ukraine is launching mass production of drones that will serve as an alternative to the popular Mavic models, according to President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“In addition to the contracts we already have, which are funded and operational, we have been looking for alternatives. Those alternatives have been found,” he said.

During the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, the DJI Mavic has become one of the most common reconnaissance tools on the frontline. It is used for surveillance, artillery fire adjustment, and the delivery of improvised munitions.

By 2023, then-Prime Minister Shmyhal stated that Ukraine was purchasing up to 60% of the world’s total Mavic production, using the drones for reconnaissance, artillery fire adjustment, and evacuation missions.

In the spring of 2025, DJI discontinued its Mavic 3 series and introduced the Mavic 4 Pro, featuring enhanced sensors and a 40-minute flight time. However, Zelenskyy disclosed in May that China had suspended drone sales to Ukraine and Europe while continuing supplies to Russia.

Recently, the US government has deemed DJI a security risk.

Throughout 2025, Ukraine has been actively working to replace imported DJI Mavic drones with domestically developed models, steadily increasing production volumes. As a result of this initiative, the first one thousand Ukrainian-made Mavic analogues have already been delivered to the frontline, RBC Ukraine reports.

Currently, there are at least eight Ukrainian analogues — Kruk, Yautzha, PD10ND, Roksoliana, Ukropter, ZOOM, Ptakh-S, and Shmavik.

Among the Ukrainian companies producing Mavic analogues is Frontline Robotics, which presented its EW-resistant reconnaissance drone Zoom in October 2024.

The co-founders of Frontline Robotics began considering the creation of their own company and product in the summer of 2023, while already working in the defence robotics sector. They decided that their first product would be a Ukrainian reconnaissance drone, given that the main tool for reconnaissance had become the civilian Mavic drone. “It is important to understand that DJI’s drone was designed for civilian use, whereas our drones were built from the outset around military requirements and mission needs. One of the most important among them is robust control-link resilience and high-quality digital video,” a representative of Frontline Robotics commented to Ukraine’s Arms Monitor.

Zoom is a 10-inch drone manufactured on the basis of the company’s own communication platform for control and Hertz communication platform for control and video transmission. The drone is controlled in two bands simultaneously with the IFR on a 225 MHz bandwidth. Digital video communication on a 650 MHz band, divided into 9 channels, allows for bypassing interference.

Zoom is part of a complete UAV system that includes a ground antenna and a control station. This allows military units to use the drone straight out of the box, without spending time on pre-flight adjustments such as modifying antennas for remote placement, installing additional amplifiers, or anonymizing the system.

David Hambling wrote for Forbes that the company heavily invested in R&D to create affordable, EW-resistant communication systems, addressing one of the main causes of drone losses in the Russia–Ukraine war. The Zoom quadcopter incorporates AI-assisted visual navigation that enables flight even when GPS is jammed, which is a frequent issue. It also includes a fail-safe mechanism allowing it to return to a designated point if both the GPS and the operator link are lost.

Although the cost of Zoom is higher than that of a Mavic, its durability compensates for the difference. Frontline Robotics emphasizes mission efficiency over price per drone: while a Mavic typically completes around 60 missions, the Zoom averages about 300, reducing the cost per mission by roughly fivefold.

The company’s goal is to develop a product that, at a similar cost to the Mavic 3, would be notably more effective than its counterpart. That is why their key metric is the cost per mission.

“Due to several design features — including a durable construction intended for harsh operating conditions, a dedicated ground control station, our own robust control-link platform, and encrypted digital video transmission — our systems operate two to three times longer, or even more, which has a positive impact on the operational economy of the brigades working with us,” a representative of Frontline Robotics stated.

A contact from an infantry battalion shared with Ukraine’s Arms Monitor that the Mavics in his unit usually complete far fewer missions than the numbers claimed by the producers. “The survivability of Mavics at this stage of the war is much shorter. Just yesterday, our new Mavic—never used before—was shot down during its first mission,” he said.

Frontline Robotics noted that the number of combat sorties performed by each Zoom drone depends on a range of factors, with the training level of personnel and the intensity of combat operations in a given sector being among the most important. For this reason, the figures may vary. (If you have not seen my recent article, (Un)Manned Warfare: 80% of Drone Success Depends on Pilot Skill, check it out.)

There is also a concern over the logistics and training needed to transition to a new system other than the Mavics, considering its prevalence.

When it comes to fully replacing Chinese drones on the Ukrainian battlefield, this does not seem possible at the current stage of the war. However, Ukraine’s defence-tech industry is developing rapidly and increasingly meeting a larger share of the Defense Forces’ needs with domestically produced drones.

Frontline Robotics also tries to reduce the reliance on Chinese components; currently, about 15% of its parts come from China, with an increasing share now manufactured in Ukraine.

The manufacturer is open to cooperation with foreign countries, organizations, and investors, and already has successful cases of such collaboration. The company sees great potential in combining Ukraine’s practical battlefield experience with Europe’s scientific foundation and manufacturing capabilities.

Share

Russia’s Rubikon: What Drives Its Success in Drone Warfare

Even if it’s unpleasant to talk about the enemy’s successes, it is still important to learn from them. Russians have been studying Ukraine’s drone warfare extensively, but their specialized elite unit, Rubikon, has become a real problem for Ukrainian troops wherever it appears.