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France Sends Advanced MV-25 OSKAR Strike Drone to Ukraine, Designed to Operate Without GPS

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Ivan Khomenko
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France Sends Advanced MV-25 OSKAR Strike Drone to Ukraine, Designed to Operate Without GPS
French-Made OSKAR Loitering Munition Designed for Precision Strikes Under EW and GNSS Denial. (Source: KNDS/Delair)

Ukraine has received the MV-25 OSKAR loitering munition, a new fixed-wing strike drone developed by French defense company KNDS in partnership with DELAIR and EOS Technologie.

According to KNDS France, the system is already in operational use by the Ukrainian Armed Forces and has received positive feedback.

The MV-25 OSKAR is part of the MATARIS drone family—developed in record time to fill gaps in France’s tactical unmanned systems inventory.

The MATARIS series includes four models, each designed for short- and mid-range missions:

  • MT-10: a dual-rotor drone with a 10 km range

  • MX-10 DAMOCLES: a winged quadcopter with a 10 km range, scheduled for induction into the French Army in July 2025

  • MV-25 OSKAR: a fixed-wing drone with a 25 km range, now in service in Ukraine

  • MV-100 VELOCE 330: a jet-powered fixed-wing platform with a range of up to 100 km and a top speed of over 400 km/h

The MV-25 OSKAR underwent its first successful test flight with a live warhead in June 2024. Its deployment in Ukraine marks one of the fastest development-to-fielding timelines in recent European drone programs—just two years from initial design to combat use.

MV-25 OSKAR Loitering Munition from the French MATARIS Drone Series. (Source: KNDS)
MV-25 OSKAR Loitering Munition from the French MATARIS Drone Series. (Source: KNDS)

KNDS notes that while the OSKAR serves mid-range strike needs, the MV-100 VELOCE 330 is being developed to counter long-range threats. The VELOCE platform integrates a 2.5 kg anti-armor warhead based on BONUS shell technology, with operational detonation tests scheduled for late 2025.

The broader MATARIS initiative is aimed at delivering a full spectrum of loitering munition capabilities to both French and allied forces, with Ukraine becoming the first confirmed operator of the MV-25 OSKAR system.

Earlier, French Mirage 2000 fighter jets flew a route over the Black Sea that traced the shape of Ukraine’s trident emblem—a gesture of support confirmed by the Ukrainian Air Force and widely shared on flight tracking platforms.

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