AN-BK-1 Horlytsia

The AN-BK-1 Horlytsia ("Turtle Dove") is an operational-tactical unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV) developed by the Ukrainian state-owned Antonov State Enterprise, part of the Ukroboronprom defence concern. The aircraft was first presented publicly in 2016 and conducted its first demonstration flight on 8 November 2017 at the Antonov airfield in Hostomel. Designed for adoption by the Ukrainian Ground Forces, the aircraft remained in development to serve as a day-and-night intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance platform.

Design

The aircraft features a cylindrical fuselage with high-mounted straight wings and a twin-boom tail arrangement meeting aft at two inward-cranked vertical fins. Propulsion is provided by a single conventional engine mounted at the rear of the fuselage, driving a multi-bladed propeller in a pusher configuration. The Horlytsia has a length of approximately 8.0 m, a wingspan of about 14.0 m, and a height of about 2.0 m. Its empty weight is roughly 500 kg, and its maximum take-off weight is reported as up to 1,000 kg, though earlier developmental figures cited 250 to 300 kg. Equipped with a high-definition electro-optical/infrared sensor turret, the drone has a tactical control range of up to 150 km and a total flight range of up to 1,050 km. It can fly for approximately 7 hours at altitudes of up to 5,000 m, with a maximum speed of up to 230 km/h and cruising speeds between 150 and 180 km/h.

Armament

For strike operations, the Horlytsia can coordinate artillery fire and engage targets using air-to-ground guided missiles. These are carried on two underwing hardpoints, with one hardpoint allocated per wing. The platform has a maximum payload capacity of 50 to 65 kg.

Variants

• Lyutyi: A long-range strike drone widely reported to be derived from the pre-war Horlytsia design.