Meet Anubis, the New Long-Range Drone Combining AI, Starlink and 45kg Warhead Already Hunting Russians

Ukraine’s long-range drone campaign may have gained a powerful new weapon after the first combat footage of the AI-assisted Anubis strike drone appeared online, according to Defense Express on May 8.

The drone was reportedly spotted in a newly released compilation of strikes by the Unmanned Systems Forces published by Commander Robert “Madyar” Brovdi.

Footage showed operators from the 414th Separate Brigade striking a Russian UAV command post in the Zaporizhzhia region during the night of May 7.

Although Ukrainian officials have not formally confirmed the drone’s identity, Defense Express analysts linked the system to the new Anubis platform based on several visual indicators, including the targeting interface and the drone’s airframe shape.

According to Defense Express, the interface closely resembles software previously shown by the US company Auterion for its Artemis ALM-20 long-range strike drone.

The report says Anubis is being produced by Auterion Airlogix Joint Venture GmbH, an American-German-Ukrainian partnership that announced in April it had secured German government funding to deliver “thousands of heavy AI drones” to Ukraine.

The system reportedly belongs to the “middle strike” category and appears designed specifically for deep attacks against Russian rear-area infrastructure and command targets.

Defense Express noted that the drone combines several features increasingly critical on the modern battlefield: AI-assisted autonomy, resistance to electronic warfare, and satellite-based communications.

One of Anubis’ key advantages is believed to be its onboard Skynode N computer system, which enables visual navigation and terminal guidance without relying entirely on satellite positioning. This allows the drone to continue operating even in heavily jammed environments where GPS signals are disrupted.

The drone is also reportedly equipped with Starlink satellite communications, extending its operational control range far beyond traditional radio-linked systems while improving resilience against Russian jamming attempts.

According to Defense Express, Russian sources themselves indirectly confirmed the drone’s existence after publishing images of wreckage allegedly recovered in temporarily occupied Donetsk.

Those images suggested the drone carries a fragmentation high-explosive warhead with roughly 30 kilograms of explosive material, translating into an overall combat payload estimated at around 45 kilograms.

The platform’s exact range and production scale remain unclear, though Defense Express described Anubis as one of the most technologically advanced Ukrainian strike drone concepts publicly identified so far.

Earlier, Ukraine’s widely used reconnaissance drone, Raybird, received a new upgrade allowing it to detect Russian interceptor drones in flight, a development aimed at improving survivability in increasingly contested airspace.

Support our frontline reporters

We report from the front lines to show the reality of war. Your support helps us stay there and tell the stories that matter.

DONATE NOW