A joint venture established in Europe has commenced production of the Bars turbojet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle, with the first deliveries of the new products scheduled to begin on October 10 for the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
As the developer told RBC-Ukraine, with the transition to official and clear export channels, operations are positioned to steadily expand manufacturing capabilities and increase overall output volume. At present, the sole limiting factor affecting the acceleration of production timelines for the Bars platforms remains the delivery schedules associated with turbojet engines.
The upgraded version of the drone features a significantly enhanced operational range of up to 1,000 kilometers and can accommodate a combat payload weighing up to 60 kilograms, a substantial upgrade from earlier iterations that featured a 700-kilometer range and a 22.5-kilogram warhead. Flight performance metrics indicate that the cruise speed of the jet-powered drone exceeds 700 kilometers per hour. Designed from the ground up as a flexible modular platform, the system allows operators to rapidly adapt the device for specific mission profiles.
This structural modularity divides the platform into three primary categories of employment: DeepStrike, MiddleStrike, and FrontStrike. By altering the internal configuration, operators can effectively balance fuel tank capacities against warhead weights to construct tailored modifications suited for distinct tactical requirements. Since the introduction of the initial prototype, the drone has undergone more than 40 distinct modernizations and engineering iterations.
The platform extensively integrates advanced digital tools, utilizing artificial intelligence across all stages of development and engineering tasks, as well as machine vision algorithms implemented directly within its terminal target guidance systems. This integrated architecture allows human operators on the final approach phase to choose between manual control or transferring full control to an optical homing system for terminal accuracy. The Bars systems are deployed utilizing solid-fuel boosters launched from concealed ground-based installations designed to protect operational assets from enemy detection and targeting.
Bars jet-powered drone.
