Budget reconnaissance drone and "waiting drone" system: TAF Industries unveils new developments
Drone Industry
Ukrainian defense-tech company TAF Industries unveiled several new unmanned aviation solutions at its Demo Day event.
The headline products are the "Babka," a lowest-cost digital reconnaissance UAV, and PowerKey, a delayed-start system designed for long-duration UAV ambush deployments, the company said.
The Babka is a digital reconnaissance UAV built as a tactical, "expendable" scout capable of operating in high-risk areas. Its core purpose is to preserve higher-value platforms, while the Babka itself is priced significantly lower.
"Babka is the sacrificial platform designed to take the risk. That’s its job, that’s what it was designed for," said Vladyslav, project lead for the Babka UAS at TAF Industries.
The Babka UAS uses a digital link. It has an operational tactical radius of 40–50 km, and can stay aloft for up to two hours on a single battery. It is enough to reconnoiter both en route and at the target area.
Its optics feature 30× optical zoom, delivering high-quality imagery from a working altitude of 1,000 meters. Babka uses Crossfire as the primary command-and-control channel and includes backup autonomous navigation without GPS.
The kit includes four Babka UAS, a laptop with preinstalled software, a video reception station, video-receive antennas, a ground relay (repeater), and a tablet with the Kropyva application. The UAS can be launched by hand or via bungee, with TAF Industries recommending the latter.
The Babka UAS is not available for purchase at this time, as the drone is currently being tested by frontline brigades.
PowerKey system is an in-house TAF Industries solution that enables UAVs to remain in a long-duration standby (ambush) mode with minimal power consumption.
"The drone can stay in standby for 72 hours, using no more than 30% of its battery charge," the company explained.
According to the manufacturer, PowerKey’s key competitive advantage is that it powers down the flight controller, which significantly conserves energy.
The company says there are currently no equivalents to PowerKey on the Ukrainian market. Other makers offer only partial or software-based solutions that, for now, cannot deliver comparable energy savings.
TAF Industries also demonstrated another field-tested innovation — the KOLIBRI 13 FR1 airborne relay, which enables strike FPV drones to penetrate complex/contested areas. This, in turn, is critical for maintaining situational awareness.
Key specifications:
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extends the radio horizon in complex terrain;
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maximum operating altitude: up to 1,000 m;
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optical stabilization without GPS (via point tracking);
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operating modes: day and night (separate airframes), with a universal variant planned;
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versions: analog (available now); digital (in development).
KOLIBRI 13 FR1 is a Ukrainian alternative intended to replace similar China-origin solutions on the battlefield.
Beyond the systems showcased, TAF Industries is developing new lines of effort: air-to-air technologies to detect and destroy hostile drones, target-identification tools, and autonomous search capabilities — advances the company says will further strengthen Ukraine’s edge in the air.
About TAF Industries
TAF Industries is a Ukrainian company that has been producing innovative defense technologies since 2022. Its first product was the Kolibri FPV drone, certified by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense. Today, the company operates its own R&D center, a network of manufacturing sites, and a team of hundreds of engineers developing advanced solutions for Ukraine’s armed forces.
