Raybird recon drone shows UK potential in Iron Titan trials

Skyeton Prevail Solutions says its battle-tested Raybird unmanned aircraft has completed its first UK deployment during the British Army’s Iron Titan exercise, demonstrating reconnaissance and target-spotting functions on Salisbury Plain, the company stated.

The Anglo-Ukrainian joint venture reported that the Class 1 Raybird system launched from cold in under 25 minutes and operated at a 10 kilometre range while flying at 4,000 feet, identifying multiple targets while remaining undetected, according to the company. Skyeton Prevail Solutions describes Raybird as a “ready-now” platform informed by more than 7,000 missions in Ukraine and over 350,000 combat flight hours.

The deployment comes as the joint venture, formed between Kyiv-based Skyeton Group and UK firm Prevail Partners in July, seeks to establish sovereign manufacturing in Britain. The company links this ambition to the Strategic Defence Review’s push for agile, combat-proven unmanned systems sourced from smaller defence suppliers.

Justin Hedges OBE, Chairman of Prevail Partners, said in the release that “there was little doubt that Raybird would prove out its credentials which have been so effectively demonstrated in Ukraine.” He added that the system’s debut on Salisbury Plain marked “the first milestone in embedding it as a sovereign UK proposition,” and that the next step is “finalising the UK manufacturing plan to respond to the ambition in the SDR.”

The company says Raybird’s modular payloads allow rapid, tool-free swaps for gimballed cameras, reconnaissance sensors, synthetic aperture radar, radio frequency locators and laser designation tools. Skyeton Prevail Solutions states that the platform’s mobility and low signature reduce risk to operators while expanding options for reconnaissance and strike coordination.

The joint venture argues that a UK production line could support domestic requirements and generate exports, with the aim of supplying adaptable unmanned systems informed by Ukrainian battlefield experience.

A stand-alone UK manufacturing plan has not yet been announced, but Skyeton Prevail Solutions positions the Iron Titan deployment as a precursor to that effort.