Terminal Autonomy, previously known as One Way Aerospace, recently announced a successful agreement made with Ukraine’s defense forces. A supply batch of the long-range kamikaze drone, AQ 400 Scythe, is said to have been provided to the forces.
The company also highlighted its current progress with implementing serial production for this weapon class. The initial production rate for the AQ 400 Scythe drones stands at 100 units each month, with ambitious plans to boost this rate fivefold to 500 units. However, the specific timeline for this production expansion remains unclear.
It appears that Terminal Autonomy achieved its goal of creating an affordable, mass-produced means of destruction with the AQ 400 Scythe. This drone’s versatile capabilities could greatly enhance the Ukrainian Defense Forces’ combat capabilities.
The AQ 400 Scythe boasts an impressive range of 750 km, offering the potential of regularly targeting sites within the Russian Federation, given the proposed production scale of hundreds of drones per month.
The take-off weight for the drone stands at 100 kg, and a considerable part, 32 kg, constitutes the warhead [the entirety of the payload is 43 kg]. This weight can be increased to 70 kg by limiting the flight range. Significantly, this drone’s warhead matches, if not surpasses, the 40 kg payload carried by the Shahed [Geran-2] kamikaze drones currently used by Russia against Ukraine.
Adding to its impressive features, the AQ 400 Scythe drone possesses a wingspan of 2.3m and hits a cruising speed of 144km/h. If equipped with a minimum warhead, it can remain in the air for up to 6.5 hours. Launching options for the drone are flexible; it can take off from a catapult or a runway. Alas, Terminal Autonomy did not give any more details about this game-changing development.
There’s a possibility that the AQ 400 Scythe has already seen action on the battlefield. The recent frequency of mass drone strikes on temporarily occupied Crimea raises speculations about this. It’s also plausible that other long-range UAVs in the service of the Defense Forces could be accountable for these attacks.
Terminal Autonomy previously teased that the AQ-400 Scythe kamikaze drone was a precursor sent out before a cost-effective cruise missile became available. The missile’s projected range stands at 1000 km and speed at 350 km/h. Further specifications, including the warhead type, are yet to be revealed. Interestingly, the company has hinted that each unit of this formidable weapon could cost under 100 thousand dollars.
Source: Bulgarian Military;