Eos C VTOL
Threod Systems · Estonia · also known as EOS C UAV with VTOL Option · Updated
Eos C VTOL is an electric mini unmanned aerial vehicle made by Threod Systems of Estonia, able to take off and land vertically and then convert to efficient fixed-wing cruise flight. Threod markets it for intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance and targeting missions down to small-unit level.
Overview
Threod Systems builds the Eos C as a hand-portable surveillance platform aimed at company- and battalion-sized military units, special operations task groups, and border-guard and police forces. Its vertical take-off and landing capability lets it launch and recover from dense vegetation or confined urban sites without the open field a purely fixed-wing hand- or bungee-launched UAV would need, shortening turnaround between flights. The system is built around a gyro-stabilised electro-optical/infrared gimbal — reporting from a March 2026 sighting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo identified Threod's eOPIC-5 payload on a recovered airframe — and streams video under the STANAG 4609 standard with embedded KLV metadata, with interoperability features that let operators hand gimbal or aircraft control to another ground station.
Design and capabilities
Threod rates the Eos C at a maximum take-off weight of 14.2 kg, carrying a 1.1 kg payload for up to 3 hours, with a communications (datalink) range of 50 km. Published figures do not include its physical dimensions, maximum speed or service ceiling.
Operational history
Janes has reported Ukraine as the only confirmed military operator of the Eos C. In March 2026, a video showed fighters from the Alliance of Patriots for a Free and Sovereign Congo (APCLS), a militia in North Kivu province, displaying a UAV marked "EOS C" that they said had been shot down near Masisi; the group's spokesperson claimed it had been operated by Rwanda, a claim Janes reported as an unverified militia statement rather than a confirmed fact, and which Threod declined to comment on.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Eos C's endurance?
Threod rates it at up to 3 hours.
How far can it transmit data?
Threod gives a communications (datalink) range of 50 km.
Can it take off without a runway?
Yes. The Eos C takes off and lands vertically, then transitions to fixed-wing flight for efficient cruising.
Who operates the Eos C?
Ukraine is the only military operator Janes has confirmed.
