Ukrainian Defense Forces have been using the domestically designed Sych unmanned aerial vehicle on the battlefield for a long time, a representative of Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (GUR) revealed. Andrii Yusov, speaking at the United News telethon, notes that the winged drone is "indeed a successful development" of the Ukrainian defense industry.
It started as a simplistic airplane with tools for scouting the area but was later modified to be capable of pinpoint suicide strikes against stationary or moving targets, including armored vehicles, ArmyInform reports.
Read more: Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Received the Sych UAV system
Yusov says, of all the Sych drones used across the frontlines, just those operated by the GUR and special forces have already destroyed russian weapons and military equipment amounting to over USD 100 million in equivalent. The list of targets it eliminated or disabled is diverse, one example is the R-330Zh Zhitel jamming station, both an expensive and valuable asset of electronic warfare with an estimated cost of $10 mln per system.
The official asserts that in the attack mode, the Sych works without an issue in a 50-kilometer range behind the enemy forward lines and has "additional protection systems" making it resistant to enemy EW interference. This feature allows it to approach EW systems and make them targets of a strike. On a note from Defense Express, earlier the Come Back Alive charity foundation mentioned that the maximum range of the Sych is 200 km, as part of the media coverage of a fundraising campaign.
One such system costs about $50,000 and consists of two UAVs with associated equipment for launch and remote control. The warhead type and size are unknown, yet the GUR officials have said the drone is designed against armored vehicles, groups of manpower, or small fortifications.
Notably, the Come Back Alive fund, on the other hand, positions the development as a reconnaissance vehicles against strategically important facilities deep in the rear, such as supply depots, capable of making quality photos of potential targets and sending their coordinates back to the operator.
Additionally, Andrii Yusov notes that as of today, the training of operators for the Sych drones continues and "there is no shortage of operators" in the GUR forces in particular.
"There are instructors who teach, and are trained crews as well. All that we need now is more Syches," the intelligence official stressed.
Earlier, the effectiveness of these drones was underscored also by the Chief of Defense Intelligence, Kyrylo Budanov. He noted that the GUR had been using these UAVs for a long time and they'd proven a "reliable and deadly weapon."
"We use them in absolutely all regions where our units are employed, and everywhere it has shown high effectiveness," Budanov said.
Overall, there is not much known about the Sych UAV. It made its first public appearance in June 2023 during the fundraiser, mentioned earlier. The manufacturer is kept secret, the main operator of this weapon is the Defense Intelligence of Ukraine.
Read more: Ukrainian Intelligence Cope with Use of Starlink by russian Troops on Frontline
