Granta Autonomy launches Black Wasp
Granta Autonomy today announced the launch of its Black Wasp interceptor drone, an advanced unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to counter a wide range of enemy strike, ISR and loitering munitions, including Shahed-class drones. The Black Wasp pairs high-speed performance with Granta’s battlefield-proven AI/ML flight control system to deliver automated flight, precision target tracking, and terminal guidance. Engineered for high-stress environments, the drone features vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities, robust jamming resistance, and seamless integration with most NATO air-defense radar networks.
Granta Autonomy developed the Black Wasp to address the critical, high-volume threat posed by hostile strike drones, providing military forces with an affordable, agile, and infrastructure-independent interceptor. Purpose-built to function as a dedicated “kinetic shield,” the Black Wasp complements existing defense frameworks, introducing an automated intercept drone capable of executing precise engagements under severe operational constraints.
A key innovation of the Black Wasp is its proprietary AI/ML navigation and guidance system, which enables enhanced manoeuvrability and autonomous flight without manual piloting. If electronic warfare disrupts GNSS or GPS signals, the onboard machine learning core maintains mission continuity. The system also powers advanced terminal guidance, using computer vision algorithms to identify, track, and lock onto high-speed targets, ensuring successful engagement in contested airspace.
Engineered with VTOL capabilities, the Black Wasp can be deployed directly from restricted front-line environments by infantry units without specialized launch rails or infrastructure. Once airborne, the drone transitions efficiently to high-speed intercept flight to rapidly close the distance to the threat vector. Crucially, the system integrates hardware and software with most NATO military radar platforms, enabling it to automatically receive real-time telemetry updates, providing operators with target position information in 3D, streamlining target acquisition from detection to engagement.
The introduction of the Black Wasp completes Granta Autonomy’s comprehensive, multi-tiered ‘kill chain’ ecosystem, seamlessly integrating with the company’s new X-Wing “shooter” loitering munition and the Hornet XR reconnaissance “sensor” drone, giving commanders an interconnected network capable of finding, fixing, and eliminating threats. Each of these advanced platforms can be deployed independently for specialized missions or operated in unison from a unified ground control station to secure total airspace dominance.
Gediminas Guoba, CEO and Founder of Granta Autonomy, stated: “The Black Wasp is a direct result of our battlefield-tested philosophy and engineering agility. We designed our technology to adapt to the evolving demands of modern conflict and recognized the urgent need for a cost-effective, automated countermeasure against long-range strike drones, like the Shahed. The Black Wasp combines advanced AI-driven target tracking with an EW-resilient control framework, delivering a high price-to-value intercept capability that challenges traditional air defense economics.”
“Like all Granta solutions, the Black Wasp was designed for scalable manufacturing, allowing rapid supply in significant monthly quantities. We are proud to offer a reliable, accessible, and advanced force multiplier to allied forces facing asymmetric aerial threats.”
Founded in 2015 by Lithuanian engineers Gediminas Guoba and Laurynas Litvinas, Granta Autonomy has maintained a continuous operational presence on the front lines, remaining one of the few suppliers active since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. With regular tests on the frontlines of the Ukrainian conflict, the company constantly adapts its products to meet the real time needs of users. Granta’s track record includes annual delivery of hundreds of Hornet XR reconnaissance drones, thousands of GA-FPV quadcopters, and the new X-Wing loitering munitions, all integrated into effective “sensor-to-shooter” kill-chain networks operated from unified ground control stations.
Today, Granta Autonomy supplies its battle-tested UAS architectures, proprietary Datalink solutions, and micro-gimbal tracking optics to institutional partners and military forces across the world. The launch of the Black Wasp interceptor expands Granta’s ecosystem, building on the operational success of its reconnaissance and precision-strike systems in Ukraine to advance modern counter-UAS capabilities.
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