Ukroboronprom, Ukraine's state-owned defense enterprise, showcased a Phantom unmanned vehicle with anti-tank missile capabilities at IDEX 2017.
The Phantom, built by Ukroboronprom subsidiary SpetsTehnoExport, is a multipurpose remotely piloted platform first demonstrated in October 2016. It can be used for transporting ammunition and performing combat missions.
Ukroboronprom says the vehicle can spare the lives of warfighters by deploying into compromised areas and providing more details about the battlespace.
The company's latest modification, known as the Barrier, equipped the unmanned system with anti-tank missile capabilities. The adjustments allow operators to engage lightly armored targets at distances between 1,640 and 3,280 feet away.
The Barrier bolsters the Phantom's armament, which also includes a 12.77mm machine gun.
"The objective of this project is to create military equipment that can effectively perform a variety of combat tasks while protecting and saving the lives of soldiers," SpetsTehnoExport director Pavlo Barbul said in a press release.
The modified Phantom was presented during IDEX 2017, an international defense industry conference taking place in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The event concludes on Feb. 23.
Born killers: French army grooms eagles to down drones
Faced with the risk of drones being used to snoop or carry out attacks on French soil, the air force is showing its claws.
At Mont-de-Marsan in southwestern France a quartet of fearsome golden eagles is being trained to take out unmanned aircraft in mid-flight.
The roar of a departing Rafale fighter jet gives way to the buzz of a drone lifting into the air on a runway at the air base, so … read more
