Profile
- Type
- Loitering munition / one-way attack UAS
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Origin
- United States
- Service note
- 2020s; publicly disclosed through Ukraine security assistance in 2022
Aircraft & UAVs
Phoenix Ghost
Phoenix Ghost is an AEVEX Aerospace family of U.S. loitering munitions and one-way attack unmanned aircraft associated with urgent Ukraine security assistance. Public reporting and company material describe it as a family rather than a single fixed airframe, with disclosed AEVEX platforms ranging from smaller Group II precision-strike systems such as Atlas to larger Group III systems such as Disruptor and Dominator.
- Conflict side
- Ukraine
- Built by
- AEVEX Aerospace
- Built in
- United States
Service History
- In service
- Delivered to Ukraine from 2022
- Used by
- Ukrainian Armed Forces
- Wars
- Russia-Ukraine War
Production History
- Designer
- AEVEX Aerospace / U.S. Air Force Big Safari program context
- Designed
- Developed before Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, then adapted to Ukrainian operational requirements
- Built by
- AEVEX Aerospace
- Built in
- United States
- Number built
- AEVEX reported more than 4,400 Phoenix Ghost units delivered under the program in a 2026 SEC filing
- Variants
- Atlas, Disruptor, Dominator
Specifications
- Role
- Loitering munition and precision-strike unmanned aircraft family
- Atlas example
- Group II precision-strike UAS; 70+ minute loiter, 130+ km range, 16.6 kg weight, 3.4 kg payload
- Disruptor example
- Group III UAS; 14+ hour endurance, 1,400 km range, 83.9 kg maximum takeoff weight, 22.6 kg payload
- Navigation
- Disclosed AEVEX systems use hardened GNSS, visual navigation, alternate PNT, and mesh radio options
- Payload options
- Fragmentation or penetrator payloads, with optional ISR configurations on disclosed AEVEX systems
Conflict Usage
- Russia-Ukraine War
- Side: Ukraine
Supplied by the United States to Ukrainian forces as tactical unmanned aircraft systems and loitering munitions; public aid announcements documented an initial 121 systems and later procurement of as many as 580 additional Phoenix Ghost systems for Ukraine.
Phoenix Ghost Images
Related Weapon Systems
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AN-196 LiutyiLong-range one-way attack UAVThe AN-196 Liutyi is a Ukrainian long-range one-way attack UAV developed after Russia began large-scale Shahed-type drone attacks. Open sources describe it as a runway-launched, twin-boom pusher aircraft built for deep strikes with a 75 kg-class warhead and a published range goal above 1,000 km, making it part of Ukraine's campaign against Russian refinery, logistics, industrial, and military targets far beyond the front line.
AQ-400 ScytheLong-range one-way strike UAVThe AQ-400 Scythe is a Ukrainian long-range one-way strike UAV developed by Terminal Autonomy for mass production and deep-strike missions. Its modular airframe, pusher-propeller layout, and visual/terrain-aided navigation are intended to provide Ukraine with a comparatively low-cost way to put a sizable payload hundreds of kilometers from the launch area under electronic-warfare pressure.
BoberLong-range one-way attack UAV / loitering munitionThe Bober, also known as the UJ-26 Beaver, is a Ukrainian long-range one-way attack UAV associated with deep-strike missions against Russian military infrastructure. Open sources describe it as a pusher-propeller, canard-layout loitering munition with roughly 800 to 1,000 km of reported range and an approximately 20 kg warhead, giving Ukraine an indigenous strike option for targets far beyond the front line.Sources
More HIMARS, Phoenix Ghost Drones Bound for UkrainePublisher: U.S. Department of War | Note: Supports direct Russia-Ukraine War conflict use by documenting U.S. procurement of up to 580 additional Phoenix Ghost tactical unmanned aircraft systems for delivery to Ukraine and stating that Ukrainian forces were using the system. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Kyiv Asked for a New Kamikaze Drone to Fight Russia. The Air Force Delivered Phoenix GhostPublisher: Defense One | Note: Supports early public background on the Phoenix Ghost program, AEVEX as producer, and the initial 121 drones in a U.S. security assistance package for Ukraine. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Secretive Phoenix Ghost Kamikaze Drones Rushed To Ukraine Finally Come Out Of The ShadowsPublisher: The War Zone | Note: Supports direct Russia-Ukraine War conflict use by identifying Phoenix Ghost as an AEVEX family of one-way attack munitions supplied to Ukraine, and also supports background on Atlas, Disruptor, and Dominator. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Atlas by AEVEXPublisher: AEVEX Aerospace | Note: Official AEVEX product page used for disclosed Atlas specifications and image provenance within the publicly identified Phoenix Ghost family. | Accessed: 2026-06-20Disruptor | Precision Strike System by AEVEXPublisher: AEVEX Aerospace | Note: Official AEVEX product page used for disclosed Disruptor specifications and gallery image provenance within the publicly identified Phoenix Ghost family. | Accessed: 2026-06-20AEVEX Corp. Form S-1/APublisher: U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission | Note: Supports manufacturer and program background, including AEVEX reporting more than 4,400 Phoenix Ghost units delivered across seven UxS. | Accessed: 2026-06-20