Athlon-Avia LLC is a Ukrainian-based concern producing the A1-CM "Furia" ("Fury") Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The design is all-indigenous, showcasing Ukrainian know-how and ingenuity without heavily reliance on foreign suppliers to meet the demand for reliable, capable Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR) information-gathering. This unmanned aircraft has been an active player with Ukrainian elements since 2014 in the War in Donbass against Russia where the aerial platform has been critical to ISR actions as well as artillery fire adjustments. The series continues to see active use in the ongoing Ukrainian-Russian War begun with the Russian invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.
The aircraft currently (2022) serves with the Ukrainian Army, the Ukrainian National Guard, and local security forces and hundreds of the type have been manufactured to date - several claimed as downed by Russian forces by way of state media.
The Furia is marketed with exceptional endurance in the air, capable of staying aloft for some three hours and ranging out to 30+ miles in ideal conditions. Weighing in at just 12lb, the product is highly-transportable by vehicle to where it is needed. Onboard is an optics set that supports both day time and night time function depending on the camera equipment installed. Use of thermal imaging is also possible in the Furia system - such is its versatility. The onboard software is Linux-based and a pair of encrypted data links as used for data transfer to the Ground Control Station (GCS).
The general arrangement of the aircraft is largely conventional, its design centered on a streamlined fuselage with a blended wing-body approach. The wings are elegantly-shaped with curved leading edges and a relatively straight trailing edge. The optics set is held under the nose and is fully-traversable on its gimble, giving unfettered views of the terrain below. The electric motor drives a simple two-bladed propeller unit located at the rear of the fuselage in "pusher" arrangement. A pair of short tailbooms support vertical tailplanes for additional control. Flight modes include semi-automatic, full-autonomous, and camera-guided.
The aircraft can cruise at speeds of 40 miles-per-hour, launched by way of "rubber band" elastic or mechanical catapult assembly. Its light weight is achieved by reliance on fiberglass and carbon fibers used throughout its construction. The recovery process is by way of parachute retarding the vehicle's fall back down to the ground.
The first local units to receive the Furia were elements stationed in Donbas in June of 2014.
The A1-SM is an evolved form of the original A1-CM and appeared in 2015. This model has been taken into service with the Ukrainian National Guard.
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(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Close-Air Support (CAS)
Developed to operate in close proximity to active ground elements by way of a broad array of air-to-ground ordnance and munitions options.
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
✓Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.
PUSHER-PROP
Design incorporates rear-facing pusher-prop arrangement, a contrast to the more conventional puller-prop layout.
ALL-ELECTRIC
Design utilizes an all-electric powerplant for drive power.
RUGGED AIRFRAME
Inherent ability of airframe to take considerable damage.
UNMANNED OPERATION
Design features ability to fly sans pilot, actions controlled onboard through programming and / or ground-based operator.
AUTONOMOUS OPERATION
Design features autonomous flight operations made possible through onboard artificial intelligence or pre-programming.
CAMERA EQUIPMENT
Payload supports photographic equipment providing still and / or real-time image / video results.
Length
3.0 ft (0.90 m)
Width/Span
6.6 ft (2.00 m)
Empty Wgt
11 lb (5 kg)
MTOW
13 lb (6 kg)
Wgt Diff
+2 lb (+1 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the Athlon-Avia A1-CM production variant)
monoplane / mid-mounted / straight
Monoplane
Design utilizes a single primary wing mainplane; this represent the most popular mainplane arrangement.
Mid-Mounted
Mainplanes are mounted along the midway point of the sides of the fuselage.
Straight
The planform involves use of basic, straight mainplane members.
(Structural descriptors pertain to the Athlon-Avia A1-CM production variant)
Installed:
1 x Electric motor driving two-bladed propeller unit at rear of fuselage in "pusher" arrangement.
(Showcased performance specifications pertain to the Athlon-Avia A1-CM production variant. Performance specifications showcased above are subject to environmental factors as well as aircraft configuration. Estimates are made when Real Data not available. Compare this aircraft entry against any other in our database or View aircraft by powerplant type)
None. Reserved for equipment related to the ISR role.
Supported Types
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
A1-CM "Furia" - Base Series Designation
A1-SM - Evolved model of 2015.
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
Images Gallery
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Image from official Athlon-Avia marketing materials.
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