Aevex Phoenix Ghost vs Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe

FORCETALLY

Loading the evidence…

Preparing your view.

ALoitering munitions

Aevex Phoenix Ghost

Loitering munition

BLoitering munitions

Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe

One-way attack drone

First system

Second system

Measured figures

Head to head

7 of 25 rows sourced on both sides

—

2.3m

Wingspan

All recorded figures & sources

2.3 m

Wingspan

Single source

2.3 m (7.5 ft)^[source]

—

100kg

Configuration

Details

Aevex Phoenix Ghost and Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe configuration
Specification	Aevex Phoenix Ghost	Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe
Type	Loitering munition^[source]	One-way attack drone^[source]
Place of origin	United States^[source]	Ukraine^[source]
Wars	Russian invasion of Ukraine^[source]	Russian invasion of Ukraine^[source]
Manufacturer	Aevex Aerospace^[source]

Guidance system	Autonomous; manual^[source]	—

Role	family of aerial loitering munitions (explosive drones)^[source]	one-way attack drone^[source]

Source measurement	The Phoenix Ghost's primary purpose is to deliver an explosive munition to a human-selected target. The drone can loiter over an area for up to six hours, and can conduct surveillance. It is effective against medium-armored ground targets. It has infrared sensors for night operations .^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · Capabilities; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Atlas, a Group 2 drone weighing 20.9 lb (9.5 kg) including an 8.1 lb (3.7 kg) payload with endurance of 1-2 hours and range of 74 mi (120 km).^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · Capabilities; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Disruptor, a Group 3 drone with a v-tail 10.1 ft (3.1 m) in length weighing 185 lb (84 kg) or more with a 50 lb (23 kg) payload, endurance of 4.5 hours and range of 372 mi (598 km), launched pneumatically or through RATO . Closely resembles Iranian Shahed 101 .^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · Capabilities; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Dominator, a Group 3 drone similar in size and launching method to Disruptor but in a twin-boom configuration, weighing 205 lb (93 kg) or more and having endurance of 4.6 hours and range of 293 mi (492 km).^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · Capabilities; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage After initially sending 120 in April, it was announced in July 2022 that another 580 Phoenix Ghosts would be delivered beginning the next month as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The Phoenix Ghost weapons were provided via a procurement, unlike the other weapons the US provided to Ukraine in the early months following the invasion. A U.S. aid package announced in November 2022 included more than 1,100 Phoenix Ghosts.^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · History; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage	It has two sets of wings, one forward and one rear, with a wingspan of 2.3 m; 30 fully-assembled Scythes can be stacked in one shipping container for transport.^[source]Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Overall weight is 100 kg with a 43 kg payload, of which 32 kg is the warhead which can be thermobaric or hold two 122 mm artillery shells.^[source]Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Using the standard gas engine and pusher propeller , the AQ-400 has a cruise speed of 144 km/h (89 mph), a top speed of 200 km/h, endurance of 6.5 hours, and a strike range of 750 km; depending on the engine option, range could be increased as far as 900 km (560 mi), or payload increased to 70 kg (150 lb) at a reduced range.^[source]Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage Guidance at low altitude uses a laser altimeter to approach at 30 m to minimize the effects of electronic warfare to jam GPS navigation until very close to the target. At high altitudes of 3,000 m, it navigates with a visual positioning system using roads and other visible landmarks. A video link option is available so an operator can manually guide the drone to hit moving targets, but this adds costs and only works at shorter ranges. The basic Scythe airframe costs USD $15,000, which increases to USD$30,000 with a guidance system and other features; this compares to around USD$20,000 for a Shahed-136 one-way attack munition used by Russia . Swarms can use a leader-follower method, where one lead drone carrying a navigation system is followed by nine basic drones, which help saturate the target area and draw off enemy defenses from the lethal version. The use of such drones is intended to overwhelm air defenses as well as make them expend expensive interceptors against cheaper targets, exhausting their supplies over time.^[source]

Source measurement

The Phoenix Ghost's primary purpose is to deliver an explosive munition to a human-selected target. The drone can loiter over an area for up to six hours, and can conduct surveillance. It is effective against medium-armored ground targets. It has infrared sensors for night operations .^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · Capabilities; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Atlas, a Group 2 drone weighing 20.9 lb (9.5 kg) including an 8.1 lb (3.7 kg) payload with endurance of 1-2 hours and range of 74 mi (120 km).^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · Capabilities; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Disruptor, a Group 3 drone with a v-tail 10.1 ft (3.1 m) in length weighing 185 lb (84 kg) or more with a 50 lb (23 kg) payload, endurance of 4.5 hours and range of 372 mi (598 km), launched pneumatically or through RATO . Closely resembles Iranian Shahed 101 .^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · Capabilities; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Dominator, a Group 3 drone similar in size and launching method to Disruptor but in a twin-boom configuration, weighing 205 lb (93 kg) or more and having endurance of 4.6 hours and range of 293 mi (492 km).^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · Capabilities; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

After initially sending 120 in April, it was announced in July 2022 that another 580 Phoenix Ghosts would be delivered beginning the next month as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI). The Phoenix Ghost weapons were provided via a procurement, unlike the other weapons the US provided to Ukraine in the early months following the invasion. A U.S. aid package announced in November 2022 included more than 1,100 Phoenix Ghosts.^[source]Aevex Phoenix Ghost · History; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

It has two sets of wings, one forward and one rear, with a wingspan of 2.3 m; 30 fully-assembled Scythes can be stacked in one shipping container for transport.^[source]Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Overall weight is 100 kg with a 43 kg payload, of which 32 kg is the warhead which can be thermobaric or hold two 122 mm artillery shells.^[source]Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Using the standard gas engine and pusher propeller , the AQ-400 has a cruise speed of 144 km/h (89 mph), a top speed of 200 km/h, endurance of 6.5 hours, and a strike range of 750 km; depending on the engine option, range could be increased as far as 900 km (560 mi), or payload increased to 70 kg (150 lb) at a reduced range.^[source]Terminal Autonomy AQ-400 Scythe · Design; only the objects and conditions stated in this passage

Guidance at low altitude uses a laser altimeter to approach at 30 m to minimize the effects of electronic warfare to jam GPS navigation until very close to the target. At high altitudes of 3,000 m, it navigates with a visual positioning system using roads and other visible landmarks. A video link option is available so an operator can manually guide the drone to hit moving targets, but this adds costs and only works at shorter ranges. The basic Scythe airframe costs USD $15,000, which increases to USD$30,000 with a guidance system and other features; this compares to around USD$20,000 for a Shahed-136 one-way attack munition used by Russia . Swarms can use a leader-follower method, where one lead drone carrying a navigation system is followed by nine basic drones, which help saturate the target area and draw off enemy defenses from the lethal version. The use of such drones is intended to overwhelm air defenses as well as make them expend expensive interceptors against cheaper targets, exhausting their supplies over time.^[source]