Wild Hornets

Lore & Background

In February 2023, a member of Ukraine's Separate Presidential Brigade asked co-founder Dmytro Prodanyuk, then a member of the volunteer organization 'Svoboda Ukraine', if his organization could supply FPV drones to the brigade. Prodanyuk and four other volunteers, some of whom were engineers, set forward to create such drones. The drones became instantly popular with drone units within the brigade, leading to a fundraiser organized by Ukrainian journalist Yurii Butusov that gathered 1.7 million Hyrvnia ($46,000) for the Wild Hornets. Drones manufactured by the group have seen action on every front since their creation, first used by the Separate Presidential Brigade, then by the 1st Tank Brigade during the 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive, and later during the Battle of Avdiivka (2023–2024), resulting in visually confirmed losses of 9 tanks and 12 Infantry Fighting Vehicles. In February 2024, the group released a video of the Bulava unit using their drones to destroy a Russian-occupied warehouse, destroying several vehicles including a T-72 and a BMPT Terminator. With the fall of Avdiivka, the drones were used to slow the Russian advance in the Pokrovsk offensive and for drone interception, with a video released showing over a hundred Russian reconnaissance drones downed by Wild Hornet FPV drones. In September 2024, Wild Hornet drones were used to recapture the aggregate plant during the Battle of Vovchansk and by the 95th Air Assault Brigade during the 2024 Kursk offensive. In March 2025, Fox News mistakenly labeled a Wild Hornets Sting Interceptor as American made during coverage of the war between Iran, Israel, and the United States. Following successful Iranian drone attacks on US military assets, the US military asked for Ukrainian help to deploy interceptors. Wild Hornets have become an industry leader in 3D printing of drones, utilizing 65% locally sourced material, with a team of approximately 25 engineers producing 100 drones a day using Elegoo and Bambu Lab FDM 3D printers.

Reader's Guide

Wild Hornets represents a significant shift in drone manufacturing during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, operating as a non-profit charity rather than a for-profit company and relying entirely on private donations instead of state funding. The organization has developed multiple innovative drone systems, including the 'Queen Hornet' FPV heavy bomber drone with a 9 kg payload and 20 km range, the 'Sting' anti-air interceptor drone that has destroyed over 3,900 Geran drones as of March 2026, and the incendiary 'Wild Dragon' equipped with a thermite payload. The Sting interceptor has been particularly notable, with a monthly production rate exceeding 10,000 units by March 2026 and claims of destroying over 1,000 enemy UAVs by October 2025. The group has also filmed experimental drones attached with automatic weapons and rocket launchers and claims to have already fielded FPV drones with artificial intelligence capabilities. Their use of additive manufacturing with 3D printing has made them an industry leader, producing 100 drones daily with 65% locally sourced materials. The cumulative damage inflicted by Wild Hornets drones on Russian military equipment and installations has been estimated at over two billion dollars.

Did You Know?

• Wild Hornets was created in spring 2023 by engineers working with the anti-tank unit of the Separate Presidential Brigade.
• The Sting interceptor drone has destroyed over 3,900 Geran drones as of March 6, 2026.
• Wild Hornets uses Elegoo and Bambu Lab FDM 3D printers to produce plastic parts for their drones.