Overview

• Ukraine has started fielding Darts bimotor attack drones in limited batches following Brave1 demonstration trials, with the UAVs capable of 12–14 kg payloads and 40 km strike ranges.
• Russia’s Yelabuga facility is producing roughly 170 Shahed-type and Geran UAVs per day while lowering unit costs tenfold to around $20,000.
• Ukrainian Air Force data show that 15 percent of incoming Russian drones breached its defenses between April and June, up from 5 percent in the prior quarter.
• German General Christian Freuding warns that Moscow could amass 2,000 drones for a single night attack by November, posing fresh challenges to Patriot batteries and other air-defense systems.
• Kyiv aims to scale domestic drone output from 1.5 million last year to 4.5 million by the end of 2025 and is testing airborne repeater integration to extend UAV operational range.