DefendTex attack UAV operational in Ukraine after UK-Latvia Drone Coalition selection

A model of the DefendTex Vengeance FPV UAV, carrying a munition underneath, displayed at the Land Forces 2024 exposition in Melbourne, Australia, in September. (DefendTex)

Australian company DefendTex has launched its first first-person-view (FPV) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), confirming to Janes a limited number have already been shipped to Ukraine for evaluation with indigenous forces.

The quadrotor, Vengeance FPV, designed as a “mass manufacturable” FPV UAV, participated in a ‘fly-off' event in Latvia just weeks ago as part of the UK-led Drone Coalition, which says it is “focused on providing Ukraine with drones and components produced by the industry of Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG) countries, as well as finding ways to support Ukrainian manufacturers to ensure that the Ukrainian armed forces are equipped with the most efficient capabilities”.

The FPV UAV was then selected by the Drone Coalition for ‘test and evaluation' with the Ukrainian armed forces, with a total of 20 unarmed FPV UAVs delivered to Ukraine several weeks ago. The company is awaiting feedback from operations, Janes was informed.

The Vengeance FPV is described by a company official as being “weapons-agnostic” but was displayed at the Land Forces 2024 exhibition in Melbourne, Australia, in September, carrying a mortar bomb in a one-way attack (OWA) UAV configuration.

Weaponised FPV UAVs have risen to prominence over the course of the ongoing war in Ukraine, with social media channels awash with footage showing weaponised solutions engaging dismounted soldiers, soft-skinned as well as armoured vehicles on both sides. Russian soldiers are also understood to have taken their own lives to avoid being attacked by such a weapon, a defence source informed Janes.