A volunteer organization from the Czech Republic, Spark, has reproduced a Russian kamikaze-type drone and is preparing to deliver it to Ukraine.
In a report published by the Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi, citing information from the Czech newspaper Idnes, it was revealed that the drone was named Jan Žižka, in honor of the renowned Czech military commander.
The inspiration for the Jan Žižka drone was the Russian Knyaz Vandal kamikaze drone, which had been neutralized by a soldier from the 102nd Territorial Defense Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In the Czech Republic, the drone was disassembled, thoroughly studied, and subjected to a complete reverse-engineering analysis.
Like the original Russian Knyaz Vandal, the Czech version uses a fiber-optic control system, while also offering the option of radio control.
Almost all components of the drone are manufactured in the Czech Republic. However, the final cost of the drone is about one third lower than that of previous models.
The first batch of 200 drones is expected to be sent to the front line soon. A fundraising campaign totaling 15 million Czech koruna (around US$650,000) is nearing completion.
This amount will allow the team led by Lesia Kopchuk, head of Spark‘s engineering club, to finance the production of approximately 500 additional drones.
“I think Ukraine would manage quite well even without help from the Czech government. But the positive side is that after every statement by Mačinka, Okamura, or Babiš, the money appears in our accounts. We are happy about that,” explained Martin Ondráček, from the initiative “A Gift for Putin.”
Photos: Idnes. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
