Parrot’s ANAFI UKR Drone Breaks Silence with Tactical Power for Defense and Public Safety

After years of quiet, French drone maker Parrot roared back into the spotlight at the Paris Air Show on June 16, 2025, unveiling the ANAFI UKR, a compact, AI-driven micro-drone built for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR). Designed for defense forces and public safety agencies, this rugged platform thrives in GPS-denied warzones and urban operations, blending cutting-edge autonomy with ironclad cybersecurity.

A Tactical Marvel Packed with Tech

The ANAFI UKR, available in defense (UKR) and public safety (UKR GOV) variants, is a featherweight at 2.1 pounds (959 grams) yet punches above its class. Ready to fly in under two minutes, it navigates without GPS using visual-inertial odometry and satellite image matching.

Its AI stack powers real-time obstacle dodging, even in dim or featureless settings, and tracks targets like people or vehicles with onboard neural networks. An optional NIGHTVISION module extends its prowess into total darkness, while a Kalman filtering system ensures stable flight by weeding out faulty sensor data.

The drone’s dual EO/IR gimbal pairs a 35x zoom RGB camera with a FLIR Boson thermal imager, spotting human-sized targets from 1.37 miles (2.2 kilometers) in visible light or 568 feet (173 meters) in thermal at 397 feet (121 meters) above ground.

It flies for 38 minutes with a standard battery, covering 14.3 miles (23 kilometers), or up to 50 minutes and 24.8 miles (40 kilometers) with the XLR battery. With a 16,404-foot (5,000-meter) ceiling and 38 mph (17 m/s) top speed, it handles 33.6 mph (15 m/s) winds, rain, and dust (IP53-rated) in temperatures from -33°F to 122°F (-36°C to 50°C).

Its radio setup is equally robust: an encrypted dual-band Wi-Fi/5G system, a frequency-hopping MARS military radio, and a LoRa backup for autonomous return-to-home. The MARS RANGER antenna kit extends secure control for covert missions. Operators can launch it from their hand using AI gesture recognition, and features like real-time video enhancement and Cursor-on-Target let them pinpoint and share GPS coordinates from the feed.

“ANAFI UKR was born from the urgent need to defend a nation’s sovereignty and freedom,” said Henri Seydoux, Parrot’s founder and CEO. “It’s the most advanced micro-UAV we’ve ever built: sovereign, powerful, and radically easy to use.”

Fortified for Sensitive Missions

With cyber threats spiking, the ANAFI UKR locks down data like a digital vault. AES-256 encryption secures links and storage, while digitally signed firmware and secure boot block tampering. Certified to FIPS140-2 and CC EAL5+ standards, it aligns with GDPR, Blue UAS, and NDAA rules, shunning Chinese components for supply chain TRUST. Data stays local by default, with optional European-hosted Parrot.Cloud sync under operator control, ideal for sensitive defense or Police work.

The drone’s open SDK suite, supporting MAVLink, RTP, and JSON, lets agencies customize mission logic or integrate with command systems. Parrot’s Sphinx simulator enables virtual training, cutting real-world risks. The SkyController UKR, a rugged ground station with a Samsung or iPad Mini tablet, runs the FreeFlight 8 app for intuitive control, offering 4.5 hours of use and modes like Touch & Fly, Flight Plan, and Panorama.

From Warzones to City Streets

The ANAFI UKR tackles everything from battlefield reconnaissance to urban crowd monitoring. It supports border patrols, suspect tracking, and search-and-rescue in GPS-dead zones like collapsed buildings or dense forests. Police can lean on it for criminal investigations or rapid assessments of fires and chemical spills, while its discreet size suits low-profile infrastructure checks. Already deployed by NATO and European forces since mid-2024, its Blue UAS and NSN approvals underscore its reliability.

Parrot’s Comeback in a Tense Market

Parrot’s been off the radar since its ANAFI USA days, overshadowed by giants like DJI. The ANAFI UKR, priced from $16,200 (€15,000), marks a bold pivot to high-stakes defense and government markets, capitalizing on demand for secure, non-Chinese drones amid U.S. and EU restrictions. Its 2024 revenue of $84.2 million (€78 million) shows global reach, but the specialized UKR may not trickle down to hobbyists soon, if ever. Still, Parrot’s focus on autonomy and compliance could reshape its standing as agencies prioritize trusted tech.

Where to Get It

The ANAFI UKR and UKR GOV are in full production, with orders open for defense and public safety clients via Parrot’s website, where specs and visuals await. As Parrot re-enters the fray, this micro-drone proves it’s ready to soar in the toughest missions, blending brains, brawn, and security.

Photos courtesy of Parrot.