1.0 Introduction
The development of Cinder, a U.S. military Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), represents significant innovation that potentially creates a tactical advantage for the U.S. and its allies. It is an autonomous, low-cost, long-range one-way attack drone. Its design combines AI-enabled precise target detection and identification, extended range capabilities and onboard optical navigation, allowing it to operate without operator input in radio frequency (RF) jammed and Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) denied environments.
2.0 Innovation and Context
2.1 Background
Cinder is the result of a collaboration between the UAV production company Dragoon and Teledyne FLIR OEM, which specialises in the innovation and production of advanced infrared cameras alongside high-performance targeting, tracking, and recognition software.
Teledyne FLIR OEM combines advanced thermal hardware and AI-driven decision support software to provide solutions for its clients, delivering infrared sensors and modules that are free from International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which significantly shortens supply chain delays.
2.2 Project Artemis
In March 2025, the U.S. Defence Innovation Unit (DIU) announced that it awarded contracts to four companies for Project Artemis, an initiative to operationally evaluate long-range and one-way aerial platforms. This initiative originated with the Department of Defence Office of the Under Secretary of Defence for Acquisition & Sustainment (A&S), which called for the inclusion of a budget line item directing the operational testing of platforms in response to Electronic Warfare (EW) and GNSS denied environments, capabilities employed by Russia and China. The required capabilities for this contract included a UAV that is ground-launched, low-cost, one-way, and unmanned that could operate at ranges between 50-300km. Requirements further called for the platform to be launched quickly with efficiency, fly at low altitudes, carry a payload of no less than 10 kg and ideally above 25 kg, rapidly updateable and upgradable, all while functional in disrupted, disconnected, intermittent, and low-bandwidth environments and GNSS denied areas.
[source] [source] [source] [source]
The project is the result of the Ukraine war, where mass-produced Russian Lancet Kamikaze UAVs and Ukrainian equivalent Ukrolancet FPV UAVs have caused disproportionate damage, given their low production costs and smaller frames. For instance, the Russian Lancet-3M, also known as “Production 52” Kamikaze UAV, can hit within a 30-mile range at 190 mph with a 5kg armour-piercing warhead. The Lancet UAV provides a significant threat to Ukrainian artillery and air defences alongside other military assets. In May 2025 alone, Russia launched over 300 Lancet attacks.
[source] [source] [source] [source] [source]
3.0 Software
3.1 Supervisor
Dragoon collaborated with Teledyne FLIR OEM to utilise two of their suites of off-the-shelf software purpose-designed for Lancet UAV implementation. The first product, known as Prism Supervisor, is the UAV’s onboard commander, providing “end-to-end autonomy and mission oversight.” The supervised mission management application GUI (Graphical User Interface) allows the user to plan, control and visualise using the mission management interface, which supports desktop and mobile deployment for major operating systems. Alongside this, the software offers a one-click, start-to-finish execution of simplified training and mission operations, providing a live stream and recording functionality with path visualisation, including metadata.
[image source]
Art Stout, director of product management and artificial intelligence solutions at Teledyne FLIR OEM, stated that the “Supervisor is a software layer that sits between autopilot and the seeker to enable a weapon to react when it encounters a target while operating autonomously within a predefined search area.” The AI-enhanced autonomy software enables the drone to plan its own flight path, using visual navigation from an onboard camera module, in areas where satellite navigation is jammed. Edge-based AI-powered Threat Response (AiTR) allows the facilitation of RF silent operations and communications.
[source] [source]
3.2 SKR
Prism SKR is linked to a camera module from Teledyne FLIR OEM, which allows users to easily create applications for operations. It uses Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) search, identification, state estimation and aimpoint localisation to detect, identify and track targets without operator input. This 6-step process is showcased on their website, demonstrating the UAV’s target cuing, target detection, target recognition, target hand off/engagement, aimpoint detection and aimpoint tracking. It can identify air-to-ground, ground-to-air, air-to-air and ground-to-ground operations, accepting infrared and electro-optical imagery for different use cases. It provides real-time target position, identification, confidence levels and direction of motion. According to Teledyne, the SKR is capable of identifying and distinguishing hardware, including the Russian T-62, T-72, T-80 and T-90 tanks. Additional hardware can be added to the list according to operational requirements.
Stout stated that “The AI models can be easily upgraded or switched out with improved models based on additional training or new classes based on mission requirements.”
Following the SKR detecting and identifying the target, it tracks the target and guides the drone for a precision strike. This capability makes the current lock-on-target drone guidance systems employed in Ukraine redundant. The SKR also includes a “target state estimation,” which uses the onboard thermal imager to determine if the target vehicle’s engine is on, allowing the UAV to distinguish live targets from burned-out vehicles and inflatable decoys. Onboard localisation for target detection and identification means that selecting a specific aimpoint on a target, depending on the type, allows the UAV to hit the most vulnerable part of a target in real time. For example, according to Teledyne, when the UAV is targeting a T-72 tank, it does not just hit the thick frontal armour, which would result in insignificant damage. The UAV would fly around the target to identify its vulnerability, identifying the precise point of vulnerability at the rear of the turret, where the armour is the thinnest and would result in instantaneous destruction.
[source] [source]
This same onboard optical navigation gives it an added resistance to EW, a capability that is critical for NATO forces, as Russia and China increase their RF jamming and GNSS denial capabilities. Furthermore, when comparing the Russian Lancet UAV to Cinder, Cinder dominates it in range, autonomy, and also in its precise targeting capabilities. Cinder can select optimal strike vectors and can discriminate between multiple targets in real time.
In a simulated combat environment, Russian Lancet UAVs had repeatedly disabled Western-supplied tanks such as the Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams, notably by exploiting the tank’s lack of active protection and predictable deployment patterns.
[source]
3.3 Optics
The integral component to the functioning of the SKR software is the FLIR Boson camera module. The Boson+ CZ is likely the camera used for this UAV. It is a high-performance thermal imaging camera module with a 5x continuous zoom (CZ). Its thermal sensitivity is rated for ≤20 mK (Millikelvin), and its AGC filter delivers enhanced scene contrast and sharpness. Its high-performance lens and electronics control help to maintain focus while zooming and provide real-time thermal gradient compensation.
[source]
4. Potential Use Cases
As of the publishing of this report, the Cinder UAV is not deployed operationally in Ukraine or by the US military in any other conflicts. DIU’s contract specifications suggest that the platform will eventually be deployed in Ukraine as a counter to Russian Lancet UAVs that are targeting Ukrainian military assets, such as tanks.
5.0 Conclusion
The development of the Cinder autonomous attack UAV represents a critical innovation, where AI enables and magnifies the construction of a low-cost loitering munition UAV. This reflects a decisive shift in how precision strikes can be conducted in conditions involving EW and GNSS denial. Cinder far exceeds the capabilities of other US and Russian loitering munitions, such as the Switchblade 600 and the Russian Lancet, especially in terms of precision guidance targeting systems, range, and payload.
The onboard Prism Supervisor and SKR software integrates end-to-end autonomy and mission oversight with aimpoint target detection, identification, and tracking to deliver a precision strike whilst operating in an RF-jammed or a GNSS-denied environment. If the Cinder meets expectations that it can counter Russian and Chinese EW and GNSS denial capabilities, it would potentially create a tactical advantage for the U.S. and its allies.