Lithuanian 'X-Wing' High Speed Loitering Munition Being Tested in Ukraine

Lithuanian 'X-Wing' high speed loitering munition is being tested in Ukraine.

Granta Autonomy, a Lithuanian drone maker, has begun operational testing of its X-WING loitering munition with Ukrainian units after laboratory and field trials this spring. The company says declared performance figures have already been validated and that small production batches are in circulation for further evaluation. “Currently, small batches of X-WING are being produced and transferred for additional testing to advanced units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Continuous operation at the front is used as part of the system's testing,” Gediminas Guoba, CEO and founder of Granta Autonomy, told Military.

The X-WING is a lightweight, vertical takeoff and landing drone that shifts to winged cruise flight for longer range. That architecture lets infantry units launch the system without dedicated airfields. Granta lists an initial range of up to 50 kilometres and a speed above 40 metres per second; the company says range will be improved while keeping production costs in check.

The platform weighs about 12 kilograms and carries a roughly 4-kilogram strike charge designed to damage light armour, personnel and radar using shrapnel. Sensors include a daytime optics and thermal micro-gimbal capable of operating without GNSS. A proprietary Granta Datalink interfaces with conventional ground stations. The guidance suite includes artificial intelligence elements aimed at detecting camouflaged targets.

Granta says the X-WING’s speed, maneuverability and mass-launch tactics reduce its exposure to interception. Swarm coordination and mesh connectivity are under development, but the company notes that fully autonomous swarm features would raise costs; current doctrine focuses on simple mass launches and paired tactics to overwhelm counter-UAS systems.

Production is staged for scale. Granta aims for several hundred units per month early next year and targets a sub-€10,000 unit price in mass production. The company positions X-WING as a mass-produced, field-deployable strike tool for forward units.