Drones of Ukraine reveal service details of Ares A1 and Magura Mini

ARES A1 on display at DroneVation 2026 (Janes/Sam Wise)

Drones of Ukraine demonstrated two of its multirotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that are in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) at DroneVation & Defence 2026 in Vienna.

The Ares A1 and Magura Mini were both stated as having been in service with the AFU since 2023, with over 2,000 units delivered between them, although a specific breakdown was not provided.

Varvara Lobova, procurement specialist for the company, told Janes on 21 May 2026 that the types were also available for export and that the company had received some interest from outside of Ukraine. She also noted that the UAVs are continually being updated in response to feedback from the operators in Ukraine.

Although not actually a cube, the Magura Mini is a strike UAV with extremities measuring 64 cm in height, width and depth. It is able to carry a payload of 4 kg for a 20 km combat radius or 5 kg for 17 km combat radius. Its maximum take-off weight is 13 kg.

The larger Ares A1 measures 110 × 110 × 72 cm with a maximum take-off weight of 44 kg. As well as strike roles against personnel and armoured targets it can be used for remote minelaying and battlefield resupply, day or night.

For more, please see Feature: Ukraine pulls focus to defence production on back of Russian airbase attacks here