V2U is a Russian electric loitering munition documented by Ukraine's Defence Intelligence during the 2014 Russia-Ukraine War. Public intelligence material describes a small catapult-launched UAV with a 1.2 m wingspan, LTE control option, computer-vision-assisted navigation, and onboard AI hardware that may allow automatic target detection and engagement when communications or satellite navigation are degraded; the full system manufacturer remains publicly unidentified.
Ukrainian Defence Intelligence reported that Russian forces were actively using V2U strike UAVs on the Sumy front in June 2025; defense reporting also described earlier February 2025 combat use in Sumy region and increased Russian employment from May.
Role detailsOpen reporting describes V2U as a small expendable strike UAV launched by catapult rather than a recoverable reconnaissance aircraft. The public records give a 3.5 kg payload figure, while recovered examples reported by defense media included KOFZBCh-series combined-effect warheads in roughly the 3 kg class.
Defense Express describes V2U taking off from a pneumatic catapult, consistent with imagery of the drone on a launcher.
FDD's Long War Journal identifies a KOFZBCh-3 warhead on reported examples and describes it as a shaped-charge, high-explosive fragmentation and incendiary payload.
Defense reporting mentions a possible internal-combustion version with longer range, but the public War & Sanctions specification for the documented V2U profile lists an electric motor.
Ukrainian intelligence describes V2U as more than a radio-controlled attack drone. The public component record points to a commercial computer stack, optical sensing, storage, LTE communications, and imported electronics used to support navigation and target-recognition functions.
GUR says the computing system uses a Chinese Leetop mini-computer or carrier board with an NVIDIA Jetson Orin module as the central processor.
GUR assesses that computer vision probably compares camera imagery with preloaded terrain photos when satellite navigation is unreliable under Ukrainian electronic warfare.
The drone also includes FPV control through LTE communication, with a Microdrive Tandem modem-router and Ukrainian mobile-network SIM context reported by GUR.
War & Sanctions lists many components from China, plus items associated with U.S., Japanese, Swiss, Irish, and other manufacturers; the complete Russian system maker remains publicly unidentified.
FDD's Long War Journal reported that Ukrainian intelligence first spotted the V2U during a Tanker Day event in Kazan in September 2024.
FDD's Long War Journal cited Ukrainian reporting that the first known V2U combat use occurred in Ukraine's Sumy region in February 2025.
Defense Express and FDD's Long War Journal reported that Russian employment of V2U increased from May 2025 after earlier episodic use.
Ukraine's Defence Intelligence and War & Sanctions portal released V2U specifications, component records, and supply-chain details for the Russian strike UAV.
