Polish FlyEye drones earn high praise in Ukraine conflict
The commander of the Ukrainian drone unit in the 26th Artillery Brigade highly praises the performance of the FlyEye drone acquired from Poland and the quality of technical support from the WB Group. Here we present the performance of this design and what the Ukrainian officer highlights.
The Ukrainian drone unit commander in the 26th Artillery Brigade, during an interview, praised the Polish FlyEye drone.
The model in question is an older third variant, but thanks to updates from the WB Group, it remains effective. The Ukrainian officer highly praises the Polish manufacturer for addressing deficiencies and implementing Ukrainian requests.
Furthermore, the officer appreciates the presence of two cameras, both daytime and thermal, integrated into one unit. This feature allows for uninterrupted observation day and night, unlike systems such as the Orlan, where operators must change observation heads depending on the time of day.
Jackson also commends the stabilization and image quality from the FlyEye’s observation head, noting that its only competitor is the American Puma drones from AeroVironment, known for products like the Switchblade. Interestingly, the officer mentions that FlyEye drones offer up to a 90x zoom, although this is likely digital, as previous reports indicated a head with 30x optical magnification.
FlyEye drones — effective artillery eyes from Poland
Polish FlyEye drones feature a wingspan of about 12 feet and a take-off weight of approximately 26 pounds. Thanks to their small size, composite construction, and special flight algorithms, they effectively avoid detection by typical air defense radars, which often mistake them for birds. Additionally, FlyEye often flies in glider mode, which reduces its thermal signature, as the electric motor operates intermittently rather than continuously.
These features, combined with the ability to operate under conditions of communication and satellite navigation disturbances, enable them to effectively locate important targets both day and night for tube or rocket artillery. Target detection is performed by the aforementioned optoelectronic head.
Moreover, FlyEye is equipped with batteries that allow for a flight time of over 2.5 hours at altitudes up to about 11,500 feet. The drones can communicate via radio over a distance of 112 miles, which is an additional advantage.
The modular design of FlyEye also allows for a wide range of applications, from reconnaissance to material transport, or functioning as "flying routers" to strengthen the control signals of other drones. Users also appreciate the ease and speed of assembly and disassembly, which takes less than 10 minutes, as well as the ability to launch the drone by hand.
It is also worth mentioning that FlyEye is the only advanced Polish military product included in the offer of NATO's Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which speaks to its exceptional capabilities and versatility.
