Ukroboronprom shows a reusable Liutyi carrying four missile mock-ups at Farnborough
Ukraine's signature one-way attack drone appeared at Farnborough as a standoff missile carrier, a configuration that so far exists as a display model rather than a fielded weapon.
Ukraine's signature one-way attack drone appeared at Farnborough as a standoff missile carrier, a configuration that so far exists as a display model rather than a fielded weapon.
Ukroboronprom put an An-196 Liutyi on its Farnborough stand with four compact air-to-surface missiles under the wings, Defense Express reported, citing the Ukrainian outlet Oboronka. What hung on the pylons were models. Judging by their design in the published photographs, Defense Express wrote, they appear to be cruise missiles.
It was the Liutyi's first showing at an international exhibition, on July 20, The New Voice of Ukraine reported, also citing Oboronka.
The declared numbers, relayed by The Defence Blog from Oboronka's correspondent at the show: up to 200 km of strike range at about 500 km/h. Defense Express read that speed as a jet engine inside the fuselage, and said the rounds resemble Anduril's Barracuda-250 in design, a weapon that carries an 18 kg warhead past 370 km.
The point is what the airframe stops doing. A baseline Liutyi carries a 50 to 75 kg warhead 1,400 to 2,000 km and is consumed on impact, per Defense Express. A carrier releases its rounds outside short-range air-defense engagement envelopes and flies home. The drone on the stand had no electro-optical targeting pod, which Militarnyi and United24 Media read as pre-programmed coordinates rather than an operator picking targets in flight. That suits fixed infrastructure, not moving vehicles.
Defense Express frames the reusable variant as an answer to competition, not an accomplished capability: the FP-1 has taken the long-range strike niche at comparable performance and much lower cost. Ukraine is already arming that class. In May 2026, Defense Express analysis cited by United24 Media showed FP-1 and FP-2 drones firing unguided aircraft rockets at Russian mobile interception crews.
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Subscribe Free →No production timeline, no named unit, and no confirmation the variant will reach front-line service, The Defence Blog noted. Militarnyi allowed that a fully configured Liutyi with an electro-optical system could be shown later. That version, not the four models bolted to a show airframe, is the one that would put 200 km of standoff into Ukraine's deep-strike inventory.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly did Ukraine show at Farnborough?
Ukroboronprom displayed an An-196 Liutyi with four compact air-to-surface missiles mounted under its wings, according to Defense Express citing the Ukrainian outlet Oboronka. Defense Express and The New Voice of Ukraine both describe the missiles as models or mock-ups, not confirmed operational rounds.
Are the missiles confirmed to be cruise missiles?
No. Defense Express wrote only that, judging by their design in the published photographs, they appear to be cruise missiles. No manufacturer or official specification for guidance, weight or warhead has been released, per Army Recognition and Militarnyi.
Where do the 200 km and 500 km/h figures come from?
They are declared figures from Oboronka's correspondent at the show, relayed by The Defence Blog, and repeated by Militarnyi and The New Voice of Ukraine. They are claims attached to a display item, not measured performance.
How does this differ from the normal Liutyi?
The standard An-196 Liutyi is a one-way attack drone carrying a 50 to 75 kg warhead over 1,400 to 2,000 km and destroyed on impact, according to Defense Express. The Farnborough configuration would instead release munitions and return, making the airframe reusable.
Why would Ukraine build a reusable variant now?
Defense Express suggests competition: the cheaper FP-1 has taken over the long-range one-way strike niche at comparable or better performance. United24 Media notes the same reasoning and points to May 2026 footage, analyzed by Defense Express, of FP-1 and FP-2 drones firing unguided rockets at Russian mobile interception crews.
Is the system in service?
There is no evidence it is. The Defence Blog reported that no production timeline has been given and no unit has been named, and that Ukrainian officials have not confirmed when or whether the variant will reach front-line use.
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Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.