Uzbekistan Unveils 45 kg SAHRO VM-1 Jet Target Drone for Air Defense Live-Fire Training.

Uzbekistan’s SAHRO DI showcased its VM-1 jet-powered target drone at World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, positioning it as a 45 kg turbojet aerial target for air-defense training and live-fire trials. The system highlights Tashkent’s push into military UAV production while offering lower-cost, realistic threat simulation for radar and interceptor testing.

Army Recognition was on the show floor in Riyadh during the World Defense Show 2026 when Uzbekistan’s SAHRO DI used its stand to signal a clear ambition beyond commercial drones: delivering practical military training tools for modern air-defense forces. Among the systems displayed, one airframe drew particular attention for what it represents in capability terms rather than booth theatrics, the SAHRO VM-1 jet-powered target drone. Shown alongside a compact ground control console, the VM-1 is pitched as a fuel-burning aerial target meant to give air-defense crews a far more realistic tracking and engagement problem than the slow, prop-driven drones that still dominate many training ranges.
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SAHRO VM-1 jet-powered target drone, a 45 kg turbojet aerial target designed for air-defense training and live-fire trials, offering up to 60 minutes endurance, a 30 km operational radius, and 280-300 km/h cruise speed to simulate fast aerial threats for radar tracking and interceptor testing (Picture source: Army Recognition Group).

The VM-1 is defined by its turbojet propulsion and by a set of parameters that place it in the lightweight, range-friendly end of the target-drone spectrum. SAHRO DI’s datasheet lists a turbojet engine (TRD/Turbo Jet), a maximum takeoff weight of 45 kg, endurance up to 60 minutes in benign conditions, and an operating altitude of around 1,000 m. The stated operational radius is up to 30 km, with a cruise speed band of 280 to 300 km/h, and the fuel type is TS-1 aviation kerosene, in accordance with GOST 10227-2013, a logistical choice common across post-Soviet aviation supply chains. The same sheet also references two speed modes of 10 m/s and 14 m/s, which appear intended for specific flight profiles rather than the platform’s cruise regime, given the much higher cruise figure presented alongside them.

From an operational perspective, those numbers matter because they map neatly onto the training gap many armies are now trying to close: the ability to rehearse engagements against fast, low signature threats without burning through scarce operational aircraft hours. In air-defense training, the target’s value is not simply that it flies, but that it can present repeatable trajectories, stable telemetry, and credible closure rates for radar tracking, fire control solutions, and interceptor timing. In that role, SAHRO DI explicitly frames the VM-1 for air-defense training, live-fire exercises, high-speed threat simulation, and radar and interceptor testing, which aligns with how established target-drone families are used to qualify both radar- and infrared-guided missiles and gunnery systems.

The program context is as significant as the airframe. Public reporting on SAHRO DI indicates the company is a relatively new entrant, founded in May 2025 and headquartered in the Kibray district of Uzbekistan’s Tashkent region, with a corporate structure that includes a stake held by an investment entity owned by the Agency for Defense Industry under Uzbekistan’s Ministry of Defense. Reporting around the firm’s early exhibits notes a stated localization level reaching roughly 80 percent for components and software, and it also highlights Uzbekistan’s restrictive approach to drone imports dating back to 2015, which has pushed domestic production from a policy aspiration to an industrial necessity.

For a customer nation, the VM-1’s tactical utility is straightforward. It can be used to stress short-range and medium-range air defenses in controlled conditions, particularly for point-defense units protecting air bases, ports, and critical infrastructure, where the most realistic rehearsal is often a fast, low-altitude profile with tight engagement timelines. A country could run the VM-1 as a single target to validate radar detection thresholds, then scale to paired or sequenced launches to train crews on track management, target handover between sensors, and rules-of-engagement discipline during saturation. In live-fire contexts, a jet target helps validate not only interceptor performance but also the entire kill chain, including cueing, identification, and post-shot assessment, with the added advantage that a reusable target concept can reduce cost per sortie compared with manned surrogates.

On operators, there is an important caveat for readers: SAHRO DI did not publicly list end users for the VM-1 at WDS, and no open-source procurement announcement has yet confirmed exports or formal adoption by foreign forces. What can be stated with confidence is that the company is Uzbek, is presenting internationally at Riyadh’s WDS, and has already drawn high-level regional attention to its UAV line through state-level showcases, including exposure during Jordanian King Abdullah II’s visit to Uzbekistan, which signals intent to market outward even if contracts are not yet visible.

Against competitors, the VM-1 reads as a pragmatic, short-range, lighter-weight option rather than a premium high-performance threat emulator. Airbus’ Do-DT25, for example, is a heavier system with longer line-of-sight range figures and a deep payload ecosystem, and it benefits from extensive service history and broad weapon-system training compatibility. QinetiQ’s Banshee Jet 80+ pushes far higher straight-and-level speeds on twin turbines, explicitly targeting demanding threat representation, while Leonardo’s Mirach 100/5 sits in the high-subsonic category and is marketed as NATO-certified and widely used across European forces. At the top end, the U.S. BQM-167A brings a different class of performance and envelope, with very high speed and altitude capability suited to advanced missile test programs. In that landscape, SAHRO DI’s advantage is likely cost, simplicity, and accessibility for ranges that do not need Mach-class profiles but do need a credible, jet-driven target to keep air-defense crews honest.

In Riyadh, the VM-1’s real story is not just a new drone on a stand. It is a small but telling indicator that emerging producers like Uzbekistan are moving beyond basic quadcopters toward the specialized training enablers modern integrated air defense forces rely on, and that the market for realistic, affordable threat replication is widening as nations try to turn hard-won lessons from recent conflicts into measurable readiness.