Ukrainian JET Company introduced a new drone-bomber with eight drop pods

The new Ukrainian JET MAX drone-bomber with eight suspensions was presented in Lviv during the forum "Joint Ventures, Joint Defense" by the association "Technological Forces of Ukraine". The drone is designed to destroy enemy equipment, communications equipment and manpower at a depth of up to 15 kilometers from the front line.

The bomber is capable of carrying a combat load weighing 20 kilograms at a speed of 60 km/h. The maximum speed without a payload is 80 km/h. The drone is capable of staying in the air for 25-40 minutes, depending on the weight of the cargo.

The ammunition mounting platform and drop system is modular and can be modified depending on the mission. The drone can carry either two heavy munitions to destroy heavily armored targets or elements of buildings and defenses, or 8 smaller "drops" to destroy lightly armored enemy vehicles and manpower.

During the development of the JET MAX, engineers relied on changes on the battlefield, as the need to increase the combat load of drones is now sharply increasing.

"We are already seeing a trend that FPV drones with 7 and 8 inch frames do not have the same market as before. At the front, drones now need to deliver a larger warhead to the enemy," Mykyta, a representative of JET Company, tells the Defense journalist.

The drone crew consists of two people. These are the main and auxiliary pilots. They can prepare the drone for takeoff in 10 minutes. The drone is controlled from its own control station, which was developed in Ukraine. It has a directional log-periodic antenna that operates in a wide frequency range.

To protect against enemy electronic warfare, the drone is equipped with a navigation system with a quad-band RF frequency response, i.e. the ability to dynamically change the operating frequency. The communication system also operates on "floating" frequencies.

The "intelligent" part of the drone is completely developed in Ukraine. Engines, propellers, and carbon tubes are currently being purchased in Western countries. The nine-fold zoom camera is also being purchased abroad, although the company is currently looking for Ukrainian analogues.

"We have a fairly deep localization. We manufacture components - bodies, frames, fasteners. And we have the ability to quickly scale this production. (...) Our navigation system and communication station are also Ukrainian-made," emphasized the company's technical director, Olena Kurta.

JET MAX is currently in the process of codification.

As a reminder, Defense previously wrote that the Ukrainian Defense Forces will have a new super-powerful drone-bomber "Heavy Shot" in the Zaporizhia direction. It will be capable of lifting a record 150 kg of cargo and destroying large stationary enemy targets, such as dugouts, equipment, and warehouses.