BLUF: Ukraine’s Defense Ministry is introducing a new standard for fiber-optic drone ground control stations to streamline their use by military personnel after troops had long complained of the multitude of incompatible systems causing issues on the battlefield.
The new stations will be compatible with various types of drones simply by replacing a single component the size of a pack of cigarettes.
Ukrainian defense tech company Celebra Tech has completed work on its Tryzub laser weapon that detects drones with AI.
SpaceRay, a developer of anti-aircraft searchlights, has created SpaceRay SA, a handheld tracking and guidance system that helps anti-aircraft gunners, machine gunners, and interceptor drones to detect and track a target.
Octava Defense upgraded the FENEK acoustic system to detect cruise missiles and identify drones.
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Damien Magrou, managing partner and co-founder at Skaðі, a law firm that specializes in the defense tech industry and operates in Ukraine, has joined the Kyiv School of Economics as a lecturer to teach Legal Practice in the Defense Industry for law students.
Green Flag Ventures, a U.S.-based VC firm investing in Ukrainian defense startups and companies, is looking for a partner for portfolio acceleration.
Tech Force in UA, an association of Ukrainian defense tech companies, is looking for a head of communication.
VYRIY, a Ukrainian developer of defense tech solutions, is looking for a number of positions across three areas: R&D, management, people and finance.
Alatyr Group is developing P4P, a reusable rocket-electric interceptor for aerial threats above 500 km/h, including jet-powered Geran-3-class drones and other fast asymmetric targets. P4P self-positions using electric VTOL flight, waits for target confirmation, and can either engage electrically or transition into rocket-powered attack when high closing speed is required. Compared with battery-only interceptors, it provides 700 percent more onboard energy and carries a payload of 1,000 g or more.
“Cheap long-range drones are becoming a permanent threat. P4P is built as a launcher-independent mass interceptor that can extend short-range air-defence capability against faster aerial targets,” said Tomas Petru, CEO of Alatyr Group.
The company is seeking €600,000 to accelerate P4P development, operational validation, and the development and manufacturing setup for its own rocket motors, targeting 25,000 motors per year.
UAS manufacturer Skyeton’s office in Kyiv was destroyed during a Russian attack on the night of May 14. The company's production facilities have previously been relocated to other parts of Ukraine and abroad. The company will continue to supply products to the military and remain in operation, it said.
The U.S. is proposing amendments to the Department of Justice’s regulations that would remove Ukraine from the list of countries subject to arms import restrictions. The changes would legally allow for the permanent export of certain types of weapons. Previous legislation prohibited the automatic import of weapons from a number of post-Soviet countries. Drafting the new legislation will take at least several more months.
Serhii Beskrestnov, also known as Flash, an advisor to Defense Minister Fedorov, conducted a comparative analysis of the costs of Russian loitering strike drones. While variants such as the Lancet, Cube, Klyn, and Scalpel cost between $30,000 and nearly $70,000, the Molniya costs $1,600, which explains its widespread use.
BlueBird, a Ukrainian company developing drones and EW, is opening R&D centers in Europe, the company told The Arsenal. The first office will be opened in Poland, with plans to gradually expand to other EU countries in the future. The company has already begun recruiting specialists abroad.
Ukrainian and German companies are working on a joint drone production project. As German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated during his visit to Kyiv, the drones will have different ranges: from up to 100 km to about 1,500 km.
Ukraine and Germany have also agreed to launch the Brave Germany grant program, which will fund the development of UAVs, drones, communications systems, missile systems, and other areas.
A new AI-powered turret designed to shoot down Russian drones has been deployed in Ukraine. Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov said the developer was a Brave1 participant, though no further details were disclosed. The system is capable of destroying fiber-optic drones. The artificial intelligence system independently identifies the target, tracks it, and calculates its trajectory.
The U.S. Army is deploying mobile fire teams in Lithuania, similar to Ukrainian air defense units that shoot down drones. These teams have been deployed along NATO’s eastern flank as part of the Eastern Flank Deterrence Initiative.
CORRECTION: The Arsenal cited the wrong source for a photo showing Ukrainian soldiers using a fiber-optic drone and control station. We apologize for the error.
