The French company Parrot, one of Europe’s leading developers and manufacturers of government and military-grade quadcopters, has for the first time showcased its Anafi UKR unmanned aerial vehicle at the Paris Air Show in Le Bourget. According to the company, this drone was specifically adapted to meet the needs of the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Parrot’s CEO, Henri Seydoux, mentioned back in spring 2024 that he had made multiple trips to Ukraine to assess real combat needs and test UAVs in operational conditions. However, this likely doesn’t involve direct Ukrainian government contracts, but rather reflects the implementation of real battlefield feedback from Ukrainian troops.
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Anafi UKR falls into the category of reconnaissance quadcopters similar to the Chinese DJI Mavic. It has a maximum takeoff weight of 1.45 kg and a flight time of up to 38 minutes with a standard battery or 50 minutes with an extended one. It is equipped with a powerful stabilized dual-sensor system featuring a 35x zoom daylight camera and a thermal imager with 640x512 resolution.
The UAV also features several advantages over civilian models, as it includes not only standard Wi-Fi communication but also LTE connectivity and jamming-resistant solutions. It supports frequency-hopping (FHSS) communication with a range of up to 15 km, increased to 20 km via an additional backup channel. All data is encrypted according to the AES-256 standard.
Additionally, Anafi UKR boasts visual navigation capabilities, allowing it to operate in GPS-denied environments under electronic warfare conditions. Overall, the UAV is fully equipped to handle jamming threats on the battlefield.
Compared to the Anafi USA version developed for the U.S. government, Anafi UKR is larger, with double the maximum takeoff weight, 1.5–2 times longer flight time, secured communications, and other upgrades tailored to combat realities.
In an interview with EDR Magazine at the Paris Air Show, a Parrot representative stated that the Anafi UKR selling price starts at €15,000, depending on the configuration and support package.
Although just now unveiled officially, the UAV has already secured a customer: Lithuania’s Ministry of Defense placed an order back in September 2024. The contract was worth €2.5 million, indicating a significant volume involved — likely intended for military aid purposes.
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