Skyeton and Prevail Partners Form Drone Joint Venture

Skyeton, a Ukrainian unmanned aircraft systems company, and Prevail Partners, a UK defence and security company, have announced a joint venture aimed at accelerating the manufacture, supply, and integration of Skyeton’s Raybird drone for UK military applications on 2 July 2025, according to a press release from Prevail Partners. 

The core of this partnership is the Raybird, a battle-proven NATO Class 1 Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) that has accumulated extensive flight hours in Ukraine with high operational performance and low attrition rates, the press release states. The collaboration seeks to enhance the speed and reduce the cost of delivering advanced drone technology, aligning with the UK’s Strategic Defence Review and the recently outlined accord between Sir Keir Starmer and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, it adds. 

The Rt Hon Sir Iain Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative Party and Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, who has observed Skyeton’s operations directly, commented: “This joint venture is an important step in developing Britain’s long-range drone manufacturing capabilities. I recently visited Skyeton’s impressive facilities in Ukraine and saw first-hand its world-class engineers and battlefield-tested technologies and processes.” 

It is worth noting that there are several domestic companies in the UK already providing long-range drone technologies, notably including Tekever, Sky Drones, and Elbit Systems. So, the Skyeton JV will join a number of other entities likely vying for Project Corvus, the British Army’s programme to replace its Watchkeeper UAVs, which seeks a modern Land Tactical Deep Find (LTDF) capability for 24-hour persistent surveillance. Project Corvus is particularly focused on systems that can operate robustly in contested airspace and GPS-denied environments, with an emphasis on UK-based manufacturing.

“Skyeton’s JV with Prevail’s strategic, operational and intelligence capabilities will help put Britain at the forefront of drone technology and production, tapping into our world-class talented pool of engineers, universities and R&D centres, creating employment and upskilling opportunities,” Duncan Smith added,  

“Raybird has been incredibly effective under the most demanding conditions on the Ukrainian battlefield. By forming an alliance with a respected British company, bringing experience in platform integration and systems deployment, we expect the utility of our unmanned aerial system to grow globally and exponentially,” Pavlo Shevchuk, International CEO at Skyeton said. 

The joint venture will scale the availability of Raybird, with new manufacturing in the UK supporting deployment in Ukraine and providing integration expertise for UK and other Western militaries. This will be an important factor for Skyeton as it is likely that all of its Ukraine production is dedicated to the country’s national needs, leaving little room for export. They join a growing number of Ukrainian companies seeking external partnerships and funding to support an expansion into the export market. Other examples that have come before them include Kara Dag and Himera Technologies. 

Tech Profile: Raybird

The Raybird design offers a tool-free payload hot swap capability, supporting multiple applications. These include a gimbal-stabilised camera for target acquisition, a high-resolution reconnaissance camera, a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for landscape image generation in darkness or adverse weather, and a radio frequency locator. The system is designed for mobility and rapid deployment, able to be operational in under 25 minutes. Hundreds of Raybirds have been deployed in the Russia-Ukraine war, logging over 350,000 flight hours, and the platform is estimated to have contributed to significant enemy hardware attrition with minimal aircraft losses, according to the press release. 

Specifications:

• Flight Duration: 28+ hours
• Wingspan: 2.96 – 4.2 m
• MTOW (Maximum Take-Off Weight): 23 kg
• Maximum Flight Range: 2,500 km
• Maximum Flight Altitude: 5,500 m
• Data Link Range: 220+ km
• Payload Capacity: 5–10 kg
• Speed: 80 / 110 / 140 km/h (minimum / cruising / maximum)
• Powerplant: EFI, four-stroke engine
• Fuel Type: Gasoline AI-95
• Deployment Time: Up to 25 minutes
• Operating Temperature Range: -35°C to +55°C
• Automatic Takeoff and Landing: Mechanical catapult launch, parachute recovery onto airbag

Calibre comment

There are a range of Ukrainian companies offering capable reconnaissance drones that have been proven in combat, including some that have scaled production to quite considerable levels like Ukrspecsystems. There are also main western companies – Tekever being another example – that have proven their drone’s capabilities in Ukraine. All of this means that the UK has the luxury of choosing from well-experienced platforms for Project Corvus, which will hopefully mean that a competition is undertaken to test the available platforms and their capabilities. 

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on 3rd July, 2025. Credit for the lead image is Skyeton, it shows a Raybird pre-launch.