// VTOL Reconnaissance Drone
MERCURY
- Manufacturer
- Aviation New Technologies
- Status
- Codified
Key specifications
- Takes off vertically from a 5×5 m patch; no catapult
- Up to 3 hours of flight; live video out to 70 km
- Set of two drones and a ground station, ready in 15 minutes
MERCURY / Aviation New Technologies
Overview
Aviation New Technologies (ANT) is a Ukrainian maker of reconnaissance drones. The company says its story began in 2014, when volunteers built its first drone, and that it moved to serial production after the 2022 full-scale invasion. Its MERCURY is a fixed-wing drone that takes off vertically from a 5×5 m patch without a catapult and is ready in about 15 minutes; a set includes two aircraft, a ground station and two cases. Militarnyi reported in June 2025 that MERCURY had been codified by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, apparently based on company information. It flies for up to three hours, streams video out to 70 km and can fly up to 100 km while recording data on board. The company says MERCURY uses a frequency-hopping link to resist jamming.
Sources
- Militarnyi, 6 Jun 2025
- Militarnyi, 19 Sep 2025
- Aviation New Technologies, 2026
Public figures as reported by the company and the press, with dates. Independent verification is part of our vetting process and is shared with counterparties under NDA.
