TFX-1 Dagger: Jet Speed. Attritable Cost. The Gap, Closed.
Prototype Complete | Flight Test Ready | IOC 2027
Prop-driven targets can’t reach the speed. Missile-class jet targets cost too much to use routinely. Dagger fills the gap — replicating the Shahed-238 class jet-powered one-way attack threat at 250+ MPH, purpose-built for the C-UAS training environment, at a cost that supports frequent, repeatable training.
The Training Problem
The Threat Went Jet. C-UAS Training Hasn’t Caught Up.
The Shahed-238 — known as the Geran-3 in Russian service — is a turbojet-powered one-way attack drone already deployed in active conflict. Russia used it in coordinated large-scale attacks in 2025, mixing it with conventional Shahed-136 strikes to overwhelm air defenses. Ukraine’s Air Force reported it appearing on radar with flight parameters similar to cruise missiles. It represents a fundamental escalation in the OWA threat: the same form factor as the Shahed-136, but at jet speed.
That speed class — 250+ MPH — compresses C-UAS detection and engagement timelines to a fraction of what prop-driven threats allow. Operators have seconds, not tens of seconds. And there is currently no cost-effective way to replicate it in routine training.
Prop-driven targets top out well below that envelope. Missile-class jet targets can reach it — but at a cost that makes routine use economically unsustainable. Dagger ends that tradeoff.
What Dagger Is
Shahed-238 Class. Jet-Powered. Priced for Routine Use.
The TFX-1 Dagger is a jet-powered fixed-wing aerial target purpose-built to replicate the Shahed-238 class jet-powered one-way attack threat — bridging the speed class between prop-driven aerial targets and missile-class systems at 250+ MPH. Dagger delivers this speed class in a simplified, additively manufactured architecture — leveraging 3D-printed components and commercially available structural materials to enable rapid production, streamlined assembly, and a cost model that makes high-frequency training practical. Attritable or recoverable employment concepts are both supported.
Dagger completes ABSI’s coverage of the full Shahed threat family: Desert Lance replicates the Shahed-101 class loitering munition, Nomad replicates the Shahed-136 class long-range OWA, and Dagger replicates the Shahed-238 class jet-powered OWA. No other aerial targets company covers this breadth of the Shahed threat spectrum — and no other company can replicate all three within a single common GCS architecture.
NDAA-compliant variants will integrate ABSI’s own U.S.-manufactured flight controller from the outset — no legacy avionics to transition upon production release. Remaining avionics components are sourced from NDAA-compliant supply chains, with a full ABSI-developed avionics stack on the roadmap
System Specification
| Airframe Type | Fixed-wing, jet-powered — the only jet-powered system in the ABSI portfolio |
| Threat Class | Shahed-238 / Geran-3 class — jet-powered OWA; the turbojet evolution of the Shahed-136 deployed in active conflict |
| Speed Class | 250+ MPH — replicates the Shahed-238 class jet-speed OWA threat envelope between prop-driven systems and missile-class targets |
| Propulsion | Jet engine — consistent high-speed performance; replicates the acoustic and thermal signature class of jet-powered OWA threats |
| Construction | Additively manufactured — 3D-printed components and commercially available structural materials; rapid production and simplified assembly |
| Employment Options | Attritable / expendable kinetic use or recoverable — mission-configurable |
| Flight Profiles | Direct approach, terminal dive — configurable to mission-specific engagement scenarios |
| Payload | Modular — instrumentation, telemetry, and mission-specific payloads |
| System Maturity | CDR-equivalent — design complete, prototype fabricated, flight test is the next milestone. Not a concept; real hardware exists. |
| Flight Controller | ABSI-designed, U.S.-manufactured — integrated from the outset. No legacy avionics to transition upon production release. |
| Other Avionics | Avionics sourced from NDAA-compliant supply chains. Full ABSI-developed avionics stack on the roadmap. |
| NDAA-Compliant Variant | Supply chain validated for NDAA compliance. Standard DoD procurement — no exception-to-policy required. |
| C-UAS Training Variant | Authentic Shahed-238 class adversary component set. Procured under Section 817, FY2023 NDAA exemption. |
| IOC | 2027 — prototype complete, flight test pending. Timeline acceleratable with customer demand and funded requirements. |
Use Cases - Applications
Primary
-
Shahed-238 class jet-powered OWA threat emulation for counter-UAS training
-
Compressed-timeline detection, tracking, and engagement training at 250+ MPH approach profiles
-
Live-fire engagement against jet-speed one-way attack threats
-
Validation of C-UAS detection and engagement systems against jet-speed targets
Secondary
-
High-volume repeatable training scenarios requiring jet-speed target presentation
-
Counter-UAS TTP development against fast-moving Shahed-238 class threats
-
Multi-system coordinated scenarios within ABSI GCS ecosystem — jet-speed Shahed-238 class threat layered with Nomad (Shahed-136), Desert Lance (Shahed-101), and swarm profiles
ABSI Aerial Targets Ecosystem
One control system. Every threat class. Seamless training at scale.
Dagger is the jet-speed threat layer within the ABSI aerial target ecosystem — and the final piece of ABSI’s coverage of the full Shahed threat family. Desert Lance replicates the Shahed-101 class. Nomad replicates the Shahed-136 class. Dagger replicates the Shahed-238 class. Within the common GCS architecture, all three can be layered into coordinated multi-threat scenarios alongside Gnat Storm’s swarm density and Pit Viper’s high-speed tactical profiles — replicating how adversaries are already combining these systems in active conflicts.
Acquisition Pathway
Prototype Built. Flight Test Ready. IOC 2027 — Acceleratable with Customer Demand.
The TFX-1 Dagger has completed design and prototype fabrication. The engineering risk is substantially retired, and real hardware exists. Flight test is the next milestone. ABSI has not yet initiated the flight test program due to parallel development demands across the portfolio — but that timeline is directly responsive to customer requirements.
Program offices with funded requirements against Shahed-238 class high-speed OWA threats can accelerate the Dagger flight test and production timeline significantly. Early engagement with ABSI shapes the configuration, informs the test program, and positions your program for early access at IOC. Upon validation, Dagger will be available through DLA SOE/TLS, direct contracting, and rapid acquisition mechanisms. Both NDAA-compliant and C-UAS training-optimized configurations will be available.
Not sure which configuration fits your program?
The C-UAS training-optimized variant is available under Section 817 of the FY2023 NDAA — a statutory exemption that gives counter-UAS training programs explicit authority to procure authentic adversary component systems without standard NDAA supply chain restrictions. Contact ABSI and we’ll walk your team through the pathway.
Train for Speed. Scale Your Reps.
TFX-1 Dagger replicates the Shahed-238 class jet-powered OWA threat at 250+ MPH — the speed class that prop-driven systems can’t reach and traditional jet targets can’t afford. The prototype is built. Flight test is next. Bring the requirement and we’ll bring the schedule forward.