Athlon Avia launches a recruitment campaign: will recruit and train pilots for the “Furia” reconnaissance drones

Athlon Avia, the company behind the well‑known Furia reconnaissance UAV, has launched its own military recruitment campaign. As part of this initiative, the manufacturer will provide free training for Furia pilots and assist them in finding a unit within the Defence Forces of Ukraine.

The campaign launch coincides with the 11th anniversary of the founding of Athlon Avia. Since 2014, the company has been producing the Furia unmanned aerial systems, which conduct tactical reconnaissance and adjust artillery fire at the frontline. The company notes that during this period it has become one of Ukraine’s key producers of unmanned systems—supplying drones to the Armed Forces, HUR, SBU, and other defence entities.

According to Athlon Avia, the aim of the recruitment campaign is to improve combat mission effectiveness and to increase the number of motivated operators with the military occupational specialty “External Pilot (Operator) of UAV” (MOS 216). Company’s CEO Artem Vyunnyk states that they guarantee full support for recruits and placement as pilots in the unit chosen by the candidate—ensuring rapid and effective integration of new operators into the Armed Forces. Training will be provided completely free of charge.

“We are constantly in need of pilots. That’s why we are pleased to support the initiative of direct training for future Furia UAV pilots—who better to teach the equipment than its manufacturer?” commented Oleksandr Popov, commander of the 15th Artillery Reconnaissance Brigade “Chornyi Lis.”

Details of the campaign and how to apply are available on a dedicated website. The process consists of seven stages:

1. Application submission
2. Selection (testing, interview)
3. Unit selection
4. Signing a contract with the chosen brigade
5. Basic military training
6. Furia pilot training courses
7. Service in the specialty within the unit

To date, over 3,000 Athlon Avia UAVs are already in service with the Defence Forces. More than 500 operators completed training at the company’s training centre in 2023–2024.