Escadrone PEGAS +
Heavier-duty Escadrone model with enhanced payload, range, and field robustness.
The Escadrone PEGAS + is a heavier-duty model of attack drone developed by the Ukrainian non-profit group Escadrone, which was organized in 2022 to manufacture FPV loitering munitions. It is notable for carrying a more powerful explosive payload than the standard Pegasus model, along with greater range and increased robustness to field conditions, making it a more capable variant for engaging armored targets.
- Organization
- Escadrone (non-profit, organized in Ukraine in 2022)
- Type
- FPV loitering munition (attack drone)
- Payload
- 2 kg PTAB 2.5 anti-tank bomb
- Targets
- Tanks, armored vehicles, less-armored military vehicles; effective against weak spots
- Capabilities
- Greater range, more robust to field conditions, maneuverable
Lore & Background
Escadrone was formed in Ukraine during 2022 with the goal of producing low-cost FPV attack drones capable of carrying anti-tank grenades. The group's standard Pegasus model, produced at a rate of 1,000 per month by May 2023 at under US$500 each, could carry a 1 kg warhead and reach speeds of 45 mph with a mission duration of 3 to 13 minutes. The PEGAS + variant was developed to address the need for a more powerful explosive payload, offering greater range and improved durability in field conditions. It carries a 2 kg PTAB 2.5 anti-tank bomb, which, while less effective than larger systems like the Javelin, is highly effective against a tank's weak spots. The drone's maneuverability allows it to successfully attack less protected areas of armored vehicles.
Reader's Guide
The Escadrone PEGAS + represents an iterative step in the rapid technology development that occurred during the Russian invasion of Ukraine beginning in 2022. As part of a broader ecosystem of approximately 30 Ukrainian companies mass-producing drones, Escadrone's PEGAS + addresses the need for heavier payloads against armored threats while maintaining the low-cost philosophy that defines the FPV loitering munition approach. The Ukrainian government's Ministry of Digital Transformation has sought to purchase up to 200,000 drones per year, leveraging cheap drones against Russia's advantages in military equipment. The PEGAS +, with its 2 kg anti-tank bomb, exemplifies the shift toward more capable variants that can engage tanks and other armored vehicles by targeting weak spots, a tactic made possible by the drone's maneuverability and the operator's first-person view. Its legacy lies in demonstrating that non-profit groups can rapidly iterate on combat drone designs to meet evolving battlefield requirements, contributing to a new class of loitering munitions that combine reconnaissance and strike capabilities in a single, expendable platform.
Did You Know?
- Escadrone is a non-profit group organized in Ukraine in 2022.
- The PEGAS + has greater range and is more robust to field conditions than the standard Pegasus model.
- The drone is maneuverable and effective against a tank's weak spots.
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