Ukraine Tests Tomahawk Style Drone Navigation Module Across 3000 Kilometers of Trial Flights

A European-made navigation module designed to guide drones without relying solely on satellite signals has completed more than 3,000 kilometers of flight testing in Ukraine, including autonomous missions exceeding 50 kilometers.

According to information published by Defense Express on June 8, citing Delian Alliance Industries representative Mark Melhorn, the company’s Osiris navigation module is being developed as a low-cost visual guidance system for drones.

The technology is designed to provide capabilities similar to the terrain- and image-matching navigation systems used by long-range weapons such as the US Tomahawk and the Franco-British Storm Shadow cruise missiles.

Melhorn said the company initially conducted 15 test flights in Europe before deploying a team of specialists to Ukraine in March to evaluate the system under operational conditions. According to Defense Express, Ukrainian military personnel provided technical feedback during the trials, helping accelerate development of the navigation module.

The company reported that Osiris-equipped drones carried out dozens of autonomous flights at distances exceeding 50 kilometers. Flight altitudes ranged from 70 to 2,000 meters, while the system demonstrated an average positioning error of less than 20 meters compared with civilian GPS references, according to the report.

According to Defense Express, Delian used the Ukrainian testing campaign to advance the system from a prototype stage toward full operational maturity. The outlet reported that the company has since expanded the Osiris development team, established a Ukrainian subsidiary, and launched cooperation with a local manufacturing partner.

Ukraine has increasingly become a testing ground for next-generation defense technologies. According to Business Insider on May 27, hundreds of international defense companies have applied to evaluate new systems through Ukraine’s state-backed “Test in Ukraine” program, using battlefield conditions to accelerate development of drones, AI software, navigation systems, and other military technologies.

Companies participating in the program receive operational feedback from Ukrainian military personnel, allowing products to be refined at a pace rarely possible in peacetime environments.

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