Vrabac (drone)
title: "Vrabac (drone)" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["utva-aircraft", "military-technical-institute-belgrade", "unmanned-military-aircraft-of-serbia"] topic_path: "history/military" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrabac_(drone)" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox aircraft"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Vrabac |
| image | UAV_Vrabac.jpg |
| aircraft_type | Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle |
| manufacturer | Utva Aviation Industry |
| designer | Military Technical Institute |
| status | In service |
| primary_user | Serbian Armed Forces |
| number_built | 50 |
| construction_date | 2020-present |
| introduction | 2020 |
| first_flight | 2013 |
| :: |
| name = Vrabac | logo = | logo_size = | image = UAV_Vrabac.jpg | alt = | caption = | long_caption = | other_names = | aircraft_type = Unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle | aim = | outcome = | related = | national_origin = | manufacturer = Utva Aviation Industry | design_group = | designer = Military Technical Institute | builder = | issuer = | status = In service | owners = | primary_user = Serbian Armed Forces | more_users = | service = | major_applications = | proposals = | prototypes = | number_built = 50 | construction_number = | civil_registration = | military_serial = | radio_code = | requirement = | aircraft_carried = | flights = | total_hours = | total_distance = | construction_date = 2020-present | introduction = 2020 | retired = | first_flight = 2013 | initiated = | in_service = | last_flight = | expected = | developed_from = | variants = | developed_into = | preservation = | fate = | predecessors = | successors = | concluded = The Vrabac () is a Serbian-produced unmanned surveillance and reconnaissance aerial vehicle intended for day/night reconnaissance and surveillance at shorter distances, as well as for target finding and designating, designed by Military Technical Institute and manufactured by the Utva Aviation Industry.
History
The Vrabac was first showcased at the 2013 Partner (international weapons trade fair) and entered service in the Serbian Army in 2020.
Design
The Vrabac UAV is hand launched and lands with a parachute and an airbag. It is designed to survey and analyze major infrastructural facilities such as pipelines, major roads, bridges, forests, etc.
The Vrabac is a high-wing monoplane made of composite materials. Its fuselage is aerodynamically shaped around the equipment. The nose part contains an 800W DC motor powered by a Li-pol battery while the space below and behind it is intended for electro-optical equipment. The airborne computer is in the central part.
Vrabac weighs 5.3 kg with a 2.80 meters wing span. It can carry a payload of maximum of 1.5 kg. It has a total of 1 hour flying time and has a maximum flight speed of 85 km/h. The operational range of the Vrabac is 10 km, and its operating height is 300 to 500 meters.
Specifications
- Length: 1,9 m
- Wingspan: 2,8 m
- Weight: 9 kg
- Launch: automatic, hand launch
- Recovery: automatic, parachute and airbag
- Engine: electric motor
- Speed: 85 km/h
- Altitude: 500 m
- Endurance: 1 hour
- Range: 50 km
- Guidance: electro-optical/infrared camera
- Operation: real-time telemetry downlink to ground control station
Variant
In 2022, an armed version was revealed that can be equipped with six 40 mm M22 munitions.
Operators
- Serbia
Gallery
File:Vrabac_mini_UAV_control_panel.jpg|Vrabac control panel at the 2013 Partner international weapons trade fair File:Vrabac_mini_UAV_next_to_Pegaz_UAV.jpg|Vrabac next to Pegaz at the 2013 Partner international weapons trade fair File:Vrabac_mini_UAV_top_view.jpg|Vrabac top view at the 2013 Partner international weapons trade fair
References
References
- (28 January 2010). "UAVs: Serbian UAV Solution "Sparrow"". Balkan Monitor.
- "Тактичка беспилотна летелица кратког долета (ТБЛ)".
- Gosselin-Malo, Elisabeth. (2022-11-21). "Serbia may become biggest operator of military drones in Balkans".
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::