Ukrainian engineers have developed a new power system for drones that allows them to increase their flight range more than six times — from the typical 30 km to almost 200 km.
Ukrainian engineers have developed a new power system for drones that allows them to increase their flight range more than six times — from the typical 30 km to almost 200 km.
These are aircraft-type UAVs («wing»), which were previously used, in particular, in the agricultural sector — for mapping fields or predicting yields. Now they are capable of operating deep behind enemy lines.
The first results with the new batteries were recorded in July 2025 in the Sumy direction. Then the Ukrainian drone was able to fly 40 km into the enemy’s rear, detect the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system and transmit the coordinates for destruction. The cost of the target is estimated at approximately $10 million.
Within a few months, engineers had improved the result many times over.
In October, a POSTMAN UAV flew 197 km for the first time. It carried a 15 kg warhead, hit an ammunition depot, and returned with about 10% energy reserve (+20–25 km of potential flight).
For comparison, this same drone could fly approximately 135 km on a standard battery.
The key upgrade is in the battery itself. PAWELL battery engineers have abandoned standard Li-ion and switched to LiNMC cells, which are used in electric vehicles. In fact, this is the same technology used in Tesla and Mercedes batteries.
According to the company’s co-founder, Pavel Esyp, the main advantage is greater energy density at the same weight. «This allows you to either fly further or carry a larger warhead. LiPo batteries are heavier and store less energy, so we switched to LiNMC — they are more efficient and provide flexibility for different types of drones.» At the same time, there is no universal solution. Each type of UAV requires its own balance:
The developers' next goal is to cover 400 km.
According to military estimates, drones now account for 80–85% of all frontline casualties. This is changing the enemy’s tactics: instead of armored vehicles, they are using small groups and cheap transport.
«If earlier the kill zone between positions was about 2 km, now it is 5–6 km, and in some places up to 7 km,» says Yuriy «Lys» — the senior sergeant of the unmanned systems battalion of the 24th Motorized Rifle Brigade.
With increasing flight range, a deep deterrence effect is formed: cheap drones ($500–1,000) destroy targets worth tens of millions.
Moreover, UAVs with a range of 200+ km actually create for Ukraine its own A2/AD zone — when enemy airfields, warehouses, or logistical hubs remain under constant threat.
Unlike missiles, drones can be launched en masse, forcing the enemy to spend billions on air defenses that are often many times more expensive than the targets they attack.
