Direct proof of use
Athlon Avia describes the A1-CM Furia as a Ukrainian unmanned aircraft system developed since 2014 and says it has been widely used during the Joint Forces Operation in eastern Ukraine for aerial reconnaissance and artillery fire adjustment. The manufacturer also states that more than 100 systems of various modifications were produced for the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the National Guard of Ukraine, and the Security Service of Ukraine.
Later reporting ties the same family to the full-scale invasion phase. National Defense Magazine reported from MSPO 2024 that Athlon Avia presented the A1-SM Furia as a battle-tested UAS and quoted the company's chief commercial officer describing Furia 1 as an artillery-adjustment drone that designates and supervises targets before Ukrainian artillery fires.
Sources: Athlon Avia Furia System, National Defense Athlon Avia 2024
Timeline
The Furia's conflict record begins in 2014. Mezha reported that the drone was first used during the liberation of Sloviansk and that Ukrainian forces tested it in June 2014 while developing UAV tactics and artillery-correction requirements from scratch.
Athlon Avia says the system passed state tests in 2019-2020 and was adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine after already being produced for Ukrainian state users. By 2025, Mezha reported that more than 100 Ukrainian Defense Forces brigades were using Furia drones for reconnaissance and fire control, while Ukrainska Pravda reported that the earlier Furia model would remain in service with artillery units as Athlon Avia prepared a larger Furia-2.
Sources: Mezha Furia Museum Report, Athlon Avia Furia System, Ukrainska Pravda Furia-2
Battlefield role
In this conflict, the A1-CM Furia was a Ukrainian tactical reconnaissance and targeting-support UAV rather than a strike drone. Its documented tasks were locating and monitoring targets, feeding observation to artillery units, and correcting fire from the front-line reconnaissance layer.
The system's package and design fit that role. Athlon Avia lists a multi-aircraft package with daytime payloads and nighttime thermal-imaging payloads, a command link for tactical-depth missions, automatic target acquisition and tracking, and integration with an artillery fire-control system. Ukrainska Pravda's 2025 report said the smaller Furia then in service with artillery units was being upgraded with longer airtime and better video link while the larger Furia-2 was still in factory testing.
Sources: Athlon Avia Furia System, National Defense Athlon Avia 2024, Ukrainska Pravda Furia-2
