Czech Republic to produce Ukrainian drones Leleka-LR and Bulava

Olena Onishchuk

Source: E15

The Czech-Ukrainian company UAC launched the production of reconnaissance and attack drones for the Ukrainian army on the Czech Republic's territory.

Points of attention

The Czech-Ukrainian company UAC launched the production of Leleka-LR and BpLa Bulava drones for the Ukrainian army.
The Bulava drone is armed with cumulative and high-explosive charges, can operate for up to 50 minutes and reach a speed of up to 100 km/h.
The Leleka-LR strike drone can fly 90 km behind enemy lines, stay in the air for up to 4 hours and reach a speed of 32 m/s.
The Ukrainian company DEVIRO has been manufacturing unmanned aerial vehicles since 2014, and now produces drones in the Czech Republic together with UAC.

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Production is located near Kolin. There, Leleka-LR reconnaissance drones and Bulava strike drones will be produced. Hundreds of such drones are planned to be released every year.

In November, we started trial operation, in April - serial production. This is literally a military production, our exclusive customer is the Ukrainian army, - said the executive director of the UAC company Pavlo Bulant.

It starts with the most complex, precision electronics. The assembly of motherboards and entire electronic units is entirely carried out under the guidance of technological equipment and professional workers. In the same way, optical containers are collected to observe the battlefield and fire artillery or guided missiles.

Other operations include 3D printers, computer-controlled machine tools, and the production of aircraft fuselages and wings from moulds. Individual steps follow each other.

We are almost completely self-sufficient, we have a minimum of subcontractors. We buy from them, for example, electric motors and internal combustion engines for controlling drones, - adds Bulant.

UAC is a branch of the private Ukrainian company DEVIRO, producing unmanned aerial vehicles since 2014.

Currently, 80 people, mainly Ukrainians, work in the Czech Republic. Only a fifth of the employees are Czech citizens.

Ukrainian drones Bulava and Leleka-LR: what is known

The Bulava strike drone can be armed with a cumulative charge that penetrates armour up to 400 millimetres thick or a fragmentation charge to destroy trenches or command posts.

According to the developers, "Bulava" takes off from a catapult and can stay in the air for up to 50 minutes, accelerating to 100 km/h.

The Leleka-LR unmanned complex was presented back in November last year. According to UAC, the drone has passed combat tests in Ukraine, can fly 90 km behind enemy lines, stay in the air for up to 4 hours and accelerate up to 32 m/s.