The smart, rugged, ISR micro-UAV range for Defense, Public Safety and Government operations – sUAS News

From defending freedom to domestic missions: a tactical-grade, AI-powered micro-UAV range designed for GNSS-denied environments, hardened against contested electromagnetic environments, and engineered for sovereign control.

Paris Air Show (Le Bourget) – Parrot, the European leader for professional micro-UAV, today unveils the ANAFI UKR range: a family of compact ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Recognition) micro-UAVs built to meet the critical demands of field operations, from defense theatres to public safety missions.

Initially developed for defense forces operating in high-threat environments, ANAFI UKR brings together embedded AI, optical navigation, and full offline autonomy in a sub-1 kg format. Building on this foundation, ANAFI UKR GOV adapts the platform’s proven capabilities to the needs of law enforcement, first responders, and government agencies, ensuring the same level of resilience, tactical awareness, hardened cyber-resilience, and total data sovereignty. Live demonstrations are ongoing at the Paris Air Show (Hall 4, booth C15).

ANAFI UKR GOV inherits the operational DNA of Parrot’s defense-grade micro-UAV, Blue UAS approved, NSN compliant, and already deployed by several European, North American and NATO allied forces since mid-2024. Designed to remain fully operational in GNSS-denied environments and hostile electromagnetic conditions, the system integrates advanced optical navigation, anti-spoofing with frequency hopping military radio (MARS), and hardened cybersecurity architecture, all tested in live electronic warfare scenarios.

ANAFI UKR and ANAFI UKR GOV are both in full production and commercially available. Deliveries are ongoing to defense and institutional clients, and the systems are now open to order for all eligible public safety agencies, law enforcement units, and government users worldwide.

“ANAFI UKR was born from the urgent need to defend a nation’s sovereignty and freedom,” says Henri Seydoux, founder and CEO of Parrot. “We’ve taken what we learned in high-intensity, GNSS-denied conflict zones, where drones are jammed, spoofed, and hunted, and turned it into a platform that public agencies can rely on. It’s the most advanced micro-UAV we’ve ever built: sovereign, powerful, and radically easy to use. When national security and civil protection overlap, as they increasingly do, agencies need tools that don’t compromise. ANAFI UKR is our response: the best of tactical autonomy, delivered in a micro-UAV that combines intuitive operation with advanced tactical capabilities.”

Mission-ready for real-world operations

Designed to meet the operational demands of both frontline defense missions and public safety deployments, the ANAFI UKR range combines tactical-grade resilience with embedded autonomy in a compact, easily deployable format.

Developed from direct field feedback, ANAFI UKR (defense version) and ANAFI UKR GOV (public safety version) are engineered for mission-critical environments where GNSS may be denied, infrastructure is compromised, and the pace of action leaves no room for delay.

• Reconnaissance and tactical overwatch for defense or homeland security missions;
• Crowd monitoring and situational awareness during public order and police operations;
• Support to suspect location and tracking in urban, rural or confined environments;
• Aerial assistance to criminal investigations and special operations;
• Border surveillance and customs enforcement across national frontiers;
• Perimeter monitoring and intruder detection around sensitive infrastructure;
• Routine inspection and securization of government or strategic facilities;
• Search & Rescue in GNSS-denied environments (collapsed buildings, forests, mountain rescue);
• Rapid threat assessment during fires, chemical spills or industrial incidents.

Whether deployed to defend national sovereignty or in the context of civil protection, ANAFI UKR variants provide real-time visual intelligence, tactical flexibility, and sovereign data control, at the speed of field operations.

Compact, powerful, field-ready, and mission-adapted

ANAFI UKR UAVs are ready to fly in under 2 minutes and weigh only 959g, yet offer a class-leading combination of endurance, resilience and precision:

• Multiple secure radio architecture: Encrypted dual-radio system (Wi-Fi and 5G), with MARS frequency-hopping radio (military radio) and LoRa backup link for autonomous return-to-home;
• Optronic payload: Dual EO/IR stabilized gimbal with 35x zoom RGB camera + FLIR Boson® thermal imaging, allowing identification of human-size targets up to 2.2 km (1.37 miles) (EO), 173 m (568 ft) (IR) from 121 m (397 ft) AGL;
• Endurance & range: up to 38 minutes flight time with standard battery, 23 km (14.3 miles) range, 5,000 m (16,404 ft) service ceiling, up to 50 minutes flight time and 40 km (24.8 miles) range with the new extended XLR battery;
• Speed & mobility: Maximal forward speed of 17 m/s, vertical takeoff and landing from the operator’s hand thanks to AI-based gesture recognition;
• Environmental resistance: Wind resistance up to 15 m/s, IP53 rated (rain and dust), operating temperature from -36 °C to 50 °C (-33 °F to 122 °F);
• MARS RANGER configuration: remote antenna kit enabling secure safe-range command and control.

This combination of endurance, robustness and discretion allows ANAFI UKR drones to operate where larger systems cannot, in urban environments, hostile terrain, or low-profile missions requiring mobility, flexibility, and sovereign command of data and airspace.

AI at the edge: real-time intelligence, even without the cloud

The drones in the ANAFI UKR range integrate a complete stack of embedded AI systems, enabling them to perceive, interpret, and adapt to their environment in real time — with no reliance on cloud connectivity or remote processing. This guarantees full mission continuity, even in disconnected, jammed, or GNSS-denied environments.

Optical Navigation is achieved through a combination of Visual-Inertial Odometry and geo-positioning via satellite image matching, allowing the micro-UAV to locate itself and operate autonomously without any external signal. The system can detect and avoid obstacles dynamically, even in poorly textured or low-visibility areas, thanks to proprietary AI models that correct sensor blind spots on the fly. For night operations, the system is compatible with the Parrot NIGHTVISION module, an optional intelligent payload designed to extend optical navigation performance in complete darkness.

In parallel, onboard neural networks provide real-time classification and tracking of observed elements, such as people, vehicles or animals, helping operators prioritize their attention. The drone also supports night operations, using enhanced low-light navigation algorithms, and maintains stable flight control through an AI-assisted Kalman filtering system that scores sensor reliability and discards degraded data.

Additional features include real-time video enhancement, intelligent zoom framing, and the Cursor-on-Target function, which allows operators to pinpoint and transmit GPS coordinates of objects of interest directly from the video feed.

By bringing these advanced capabilities directly on board, ANAFI UKR enables public security and defense operators to act faster, with greater autonomy and situational awareness — even in the most degraded conditions.

Built to secure government data

In a context of heightened geopolitical instability, escalating cyber threats and increasing pressure on critical infrastructure, the ANAFI UKR range stands as a trusted and sovereign solution. ANAFI UKR is GDPR-compliant and aligned with the most demanding institutional frameworks, including Blue UAS and NDAA compliance.

Parrot’s systems are designed to meet the highest standards of data protection, sovereignty and operational compliance, in line with the expectations of defense, public safety and government users worldwide. They are also built with a strict component sourcing policy: like the ANAFI USA range, the ANAFI UKR range contains no components of Chinese origin.

Key features include:

• AES-256 encrypted links and storage;
• Digitally signed firmware and secure boot;
• Certified Secure Elements meeting international standards (FIPS140-2 and CC EAL5+);
• No automatic cloud sync or telemetry sharing by default (fully GDPR-compliant);
• Optional cloud services hosted in Europe (Parrot.Cloud ), under full operator control.

This architecture guarantees that mission data remains local, sovereign, and under the sole authority of the operational user — whether in a national deployment, a sensitive investigation, or a cross-border mission.

SkyController UKR, FreeFlight 8, Remote Antenna & Open SDK: Mission-proven tools for secure operation and custom deployment

ANAFI UKR operates via the Parrot SkyController UKR, a ruggedized ground station designed for demanding field conditions. It includes an integrated enterprise-grade tablet (Samsung or iPad Mini compatible) and offers up to 4.5 hours of continuous use.

The user interface runs on FreeFlight 8, Parrot’s mission-proven ground control app developed for Android and iOS. It is fully GDPR-compliant and designed for fast deployment and intuitive operation, including with gloves or in low-visibility conditions. Key features include:

• Real-time video streaming and telemetry;
• Multiple flight modes: Touch & Fly, Flight Plan (MAVLink), Tracking, POI, Panorama;
• 1-click media export, data deletion, and cloud sync control;
• Operator-controlled cloud synchronization (optional, hosted on European servers).

In extended-range or protected deployment scenarios, the ANAFI UKR Mission configuration, includes the MARS RANGER, a remote antenna kit, also developed by Parrot and the ANAFI UKR controller. Together, they reinforce secure, long-distance command and control while allowing the pilot to remain mobile, covered, or tactically positioned. This setup is especially relevant for perimeter protection, convoy escort, or distributed coordination missions.

ANAFI UKR is based on an open and secure software architecture that supports mission-specific adaptation, system interoperability and long-term capability development.

Through the Parrot SDK suite, authorized users and accredited partners can:

• Develop and deploy custom mission logic, perception algorithms or AI models directly on the drone (Air SDK);
• Build operational control and visualization tools via mobile or C2-integrated applications (Ground SDK);
• Access real-time video, telemetry and metadata through standard interfaces (MAVLink, RTP, JSON);
• Run full-stack simulations and hardware-in-the-loop testing using Parrot Sphinx, the embedded virtual environment.

This open architecture, combined with certified secure execution environments, ensures that operational units retain sovereign control over their systems, with full traceability, customization, and future proofing.

ANAFI UKR is delivered with a complete virtual simulator environment, allowing mission rehearsal, pilot training and system integration before field deployment.

Availability

ANAFI UKR and ANAFI UKR GOV are now in full production and available for order. Deliveries are ongoing to defense and government clients, and the systems are accessible to all eligible public safety, law enforcement, and civil security agencies worldwide.

Multiple configurations are available, including operational kits tailored to the specific requirements of tactical intervention units, perimeter surveillance teams, border patrols, and critical infrastructure operators. Pricing starts at €15,000, depending on selected configuration, integrations, and support options.

GLOSSARY

AES-256 – Advanced Encryption Standard (256-bit)
A symmetric encryption algorithm used by governments and militaries worldwide. The 256-bit key length provides a very high level of data protection against brute-force attacks.

AGL – Above Ground Level
The drone’s altitude relative to the ground directly beneath it (not sea level).

AI – Artificial Intelligence
The use of onboard algorithms to enable the drone to perceive, understand, and make autonomous decisions during a mission.

Blue UAS – Blue Unmanned Aircraft Systems
A U.S. Department of Defense designation for drones that meet strict cybersecurity, supply chain, and operational standards.

CC EAL5+ – Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 5+
An international certification level for IT security. EAL5+ ensures that a product has been rigorously designed and tested for high assurance in hostile environments.

Dual EO/IR – Dual Electro-Optical / Infrared
A combined imaging system that includes both a visible-light (EO) camera and a thermal (IR) camera.

FIPS140-2 – Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2
A U.S. government standard for certifying cryptographic modules. It defines strict security requirements for hardware and software that handle sensitive information.

FreeFlight 8– Flight Control Application
The mission control app used by operators to pilot ANAFI UKR GOV, visualize data, and manage settings and media (available on iOS and Android).

GDPR – General Data Protection Regulation
The European Union regulation that governs data protection and privacy. It requires organizations to ensure that personal data is collected, stored and processed lawfully, transparently and securely.

GNSS – Global Navigation Satellite System
A generic term covering GPS (USA), Galileo (EU), GLONASS (Russia), and BeiDou (China) satellite positioning systems.

JSON – JavaScript Object Notation
A human-readable data format used to structure and exchange information between systems. In ANAFI UKR, JSON is used to encode flight data, telemetry, camera settings and mission logs, ensuring compatibility with modern APIs and analytics tools.

MAVLink – Micro Air Vehicle Link
A lightweight communication protocol used to exchange commands and telemetry between drones and control systems. It is widely adopted in the defense and robotics sectors for its reliability, openness and interoperability.

NDAA – National Defense Authorization Act
U.S. legislation that restricts procurement of certain foreign technologies for defense-related applications.

POI – Point of Interest
A predefined or user-selected location that the drone can automatically focus on, circle around, or frame with its camera during flight.

RGB – Red, Green, Blue
The standard color model used in digital imaging.

RTH – Return to Home
An autonomous safety function that brings the drone back to its take-off location if control or communication is lost.

RTP – Real-time Transport Protocol
A network protocol designed to deliver audio and video streams with low latency. It is used by Parrot to transmit encrypted live video and metadata from the drone to the operator in real time.

SDK – Software Development Kit
A collection of tools, libraries and documentation that allows developers to build custom software components. With the Parrot SDK, users can create mission-specific applications, control interfaces, or onboard algorithms that run directly on the drone or ground station.

Secure Elements
Tamper-resistant hardware components dedicated to protecting cryptographic keys and sensitive operations. They provide strong authentication and ensure data confidentiality and integrity.

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