Estonian defence manufacturer KrattWorks makes target drones that imitate Russian Shahed aircraft so air forces can practise detecting and shooting them down, German broadcaster n-tv reports.

In the n-tv interview, head of sales Karmo Saar demonstrated the DART near Tallinn and explained why it needs to reproduce more than a Shahed’s outline. Ukrainian air defences use acoustic sensors to recognise incoming aircraft, he said, so the training drone must also sound like the target it imitates.

Drones built to be shot down

The company’s DART specifications list a 2.2-metre wingspan and a cruising speed of 200 km/h. Saar said Dutch F-35s and Italian Eurofighters have used the target in exercises in Estonia. Soldiers have also fired at it from ships, helicopters and with machine guns. The aircraft can survive wing hits if critical parts remain intact, he said.

That makes DART useful to both military testing bodies and training units. Saar described research organisations that use target drones to compare competing interception systems, as well as companies that test their own products against them. He named Munich-based Titan Technologies as a customer.

Training follows changes in the threat

KrattWorks has an office in Ukraine, where, Saar said, it monitors developments in drone warfare. He told n-tv the company is developing a target to represent the faster Geran-5. The DART is among the Estonian defence products designed for military users abroad.

Read the full n-tv interview in German.

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