AQ-400 Scythe

The AQ-400 Scythe is a one-way attack drone developed and produced by the Ukrainian company Terminal Autonomy for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Designed during the Russian invasion of Ukraine as a low-cost, mass-producible strike munition, it is built primarily from milled plywood and has a strike range of 750 km. It is intended for use in large numbers against fixed targets and to force air defences to expend interceptors against inexpensive airframes.

Development

Terminal Autonomy, originally named One Way Aerospace, was founded in mid-2022 by two veterans of the British and Australian militaries and a Ukrainian engineer to develop low-cost, domestically produced kamikaze drones. The AQ-400 was first demonstrated in spring 2023, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine received the first batch in December 2023. Initial production was planned at 100 units per month, scaling to 500 per month in the second quarter of 2024, with a stated goal of 1,000 units monthly. The basic airframe costs USD $15,000, rising to USD $30,000 with a guidance system and additional features; a Russian Shahed-136 costs approximately USD $20,000.

Design

The fuselage is made from milled plywood sheets sourced from civilian furniture factories, chosen over 3-D printing or fiberglass for scalability, and assembly requires no technical training or skilled labour. Some components are imported, but production is concentrated within Ukraine. The aircraft uses a tandem wing layout with forward and rear wing sets and a 2.3 m span; 30 fully assembled airframes fit in one shipping container. Take-off is from short airstrips using tricycle landing gear or from a catapult with rocket boosters. With the standard gas engine and pusher propeller, cruise speed is 144 km/h, top speed 200 km/h, endurance 6.5 hours and strike range 750 km; alternative engine options extend range to 900 km or increase payload to 70 kg at reduced range. At low altitude the drone uses a laser altimeter to fly at 30 m, limiting the effect of GPS jamming until close to the target; at 3,000 m it navigates by a visual positioning system referencing roads and landmarks. An optional video link allows an operator to guide the drone manually against moving targets at shorter ranges, at increased cost.

Armament

Total weight is 100 kg with a 43 kg payload, of which 32 kg is the warhead. Warhead options include a thermobaric charge or two 122 mm artillery shells.

Operational History

Ukraine is the sole operator. Deliveries to the Armed Forces of Ukraine began in December 2023. Swarm employment uses a leader-follower method in which one lead drone carrying a navigation system is followed by nine basic airframes, saturating the target area and drawing defensive fire away from the armed variant. In July 2026, a factory in Kyiv producing AQ-400 and AQ-100 Bayonet drones was destroyed by a Russian ballistic missile.