Ukrainian-Estonian Black Forest Systems showed a new SHADOX reconnaissance and strike UAV, which is being developed as the simplest possible tool for an infantryman without special training.
Ukrainian-Estonian Black Forest Systems showed a new SHADOX reconnaissance and strike UAV, which is being developed as the simplest possible tool for an infantryman without special training.
According to «Military», the development was presented at the defense tech job fair «Arsenal of Talents». The company’s CEO Oleksandr Davydenko told the publication that the complex was designed so that it could be used by a fighter without the skills of fine-tuning frequencies, remote controls, or complex pre-flight training.
The key focus here is not on a single «magic» detail, but on the overall architecture of the system. According to the developers, to start, you actually need one button on the remote control and one on the drone itself. In about 25 seconds, the system automatically connects, after which the operator receives a video stream and can lift the device into the air.
SHADOX weighs 800 grams and has a working distance of about 1 km, although in tests the developers reached 1.5–2 km. The drone was created primarily for the needs of the MSO and infantry, that is, for close tactical work, where a quick start, compactness and ease of use are important. At the same time, it is not only a reconnaissance vehicle: it can carry a warhead weighing 330 grams to destroy targets.
Control is via a secure digital communication channel. It does not have a RFC system, but the developers attribute its resistance to jamming to a very wide frequency range, over 1 GHz. In the future, the company wants to add automatic frequency switching.
Black Forest Systems plans to produce the first batch of 50 units and hand them over to the units that created SHADOX. The idea for the drone itself, according to the company, came from the military, in particular from the SSO and the International Legion fighters, who asked to make a more compact version of the previous system. In early March, the company also attracted $400,000 in investment and now wants to start producing 300-500 such drones per month.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how Ukrainian drone startup Black Forest Systems announced a $400,000 investment round from Swedish investment companies Front Ventures and Hede Capital Partners AB. These investments will be used to accelerate the development and production of unmanned systems focused on the needs of infantry.
