// Long-Endurance Reconnaissance Drone
Raybird
- Manufacturer
- Skyeton
- Founded
- 2006
- Based in
- Kyiv
- Status
- Fielded
Key specifications
- Up to 24 hours aloft and 2,500+ km range (company figures)
- Carries up to 6 kg: camera gimbals, SAR radar or RF locators
- Real-time data link beyond 200 km, with a satellite option (company)
Raybird / Skyeton
Overview
Skyeton is a Ukrainian aircraft maker founded in 2006 that moved from light aircraft to unmanned systems. Its Raybird (ACS-3 in Ukrainian service) is a catapult-launched, fixed-wing reconnaissance drone that Ukraine’s armed forces have used since 2018. The company says the petrol version flies for up to 24 hours, covers 2,500 km and carries up to 6 kg of swappable sensors, including camera gimbals, synthetic-aperture radar and radio-frequency locators, and that the fleet has logged more than 350,000 combat flight hours. Skyeton has built Raybird in Slovakia since 2024 and announced a UK joint venture with Prevail Partners in 2025. In September 2026 its US subsidiary won a $10.64 million US Army contract for Raybird drones and services, and the company is setting up a plant in the United States.
Sources
- Militarnyi, 20 Sep 2026
- Skyeton, 5 May 2026
- Skyeton, 3 Jun 2026
- dev.ua, 2 Jul 2025
- Reuters via Arab News, 19 Jun 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.
