Vyriy Industries Sokil

History

The Sokil is a lightweight reconnaissance UAV developed by Ukrainian company Vyriy Industries, one of the country's largest manufacturers of first-person-view drones. Vyriy presented the Sokil together with other new products in September 2025. By March 2026 the company had codified the platform, and the Sokil had already been successfully used during its first combat missions. In October 2026, volunteers of the Serhiy Pritula Charity Foundation delivered 190 Sokil UAVs, valued at a total of 50.8 million hryvnia, to nine units of Ukraine's Defence Forces. Recipients included the 1st Corps of the National Guard "Azov", the 79th, 80th, 82nd, and 95th Air Assault Brigades, the 3rd Operational Designation Detachment, the 421st Unmanned Systems Battalion, the 132th Reconnaissance Battalion, and the 228th Material Support Battalion. The Foundation subsequently launched a joint fundraising project with the WOG fuel-station network to raise 8.5 million hryvnia for an additional batch of Sokil UAVs for air-assault units.

Specifications

The Sokil weighs 8 kg and is hand-launched without a catapult; deployment requires three operators and takes 20 minutes. It is designed for operation at operational and tactical depth.

Performance figures vary across available materials: cruise speed is 75 km/h while maximum speed is stated as 130 km/h. Maximum range is given as up to 195 km in delivery documentation and 170 km in manufacturer trial statements. Flight endurance is stated as up to 3 hours, with 2.5 hours in standard conditions per manufacturer data. Operating altitude reaches up to 2,500 m. Current combat data records successful missions at depths of 52 km and target acquisition for strike drones at 40 km.

Navigation relies on a radio beacon triangulation system using a network of compact ground beacons deployed near the operator, allowing the drone to function accurately when GPS signals are suppressed by enemy electronic warfare. This makes the platform specifically suited for operations along the front line where jamming is most intense. Control is available in automatic, semi-automatic, or manual modes.

The camera is described with 10× optical and 3× digital zoom in delivery materials, while manufacturer specifications list 30× zoom with 340° rotation and a stable image from 1,100 m altitude. The system is designed to detect vehicles at distances of several kilometres and includes a countermeasure system against Russian FPV interceptor drones.

Unit cost is stated as up to US$5,000 or approximately 172,000 hryvnia (≈US$4,000). A Sokil complex comprising three aircraft and a dedicated ground station is priced at 1 million hryvnia.