Defensetech is going to be a big part of our future. The world isn’t set to get any safer (something I discussed with Vojta Roček from Presto Tech Horizons), and we’re going to need more and better weapons to defend Europe. Ukraine is proving to be the crucible for much of this, not just in developing, but, more importantly, testing these new systems. I visited the country several times to get a feel for this new industry.
The overall impression I get of Ukraine is one of tremendous energy. The Ukrainians aren’t just fighting for the survival of their state, but also their people, language, and culture, giving them the drive to try almost anything. Developments follow each other up fast and new innovations are tested almost immediately on the battlefield, letting builders see very quickly what works and what doesn’t.
No wonder, then, that almost everybody you meet will tell you that “if you’re not in Ukraine, you’re not in defensetech.” Thanks to the frenzied pace of innovation as each side jockeys for a battlefield advantage, Ukraine is ahead of the rest of the West by a country mile. Even many of the ideas being developed now will likely be superseded in just a few months.
Drones, drones, drones
The best example is probably the drone war. Ever since the full-scale invasion, Ukraine has had to deal with a massive disparity in men and materiel when compared to the invader. Drones fill up these gaps, as well as allowing soldiers to keep out of harm’s way; it’s much safer to scout a potentially dangerous area with a drone, for example.
No surprise, then, that the exhibition floor at Defense Tech Valley, a defense-focused conference in Lviv this past September, was chock-a-block with drones of all kinds. Not just flying ones, either, as the Ukrainian defenders have developed unmanned ground vehicles, too, used for demining and clearing enemy trenches, and waterborne drones that are used with great effect in the Black Sea.
That said, the flying variety was still the star of the show, with multiple companies showing off what they had come up with. These ranged from tiny drones used for reconnaissance, to ones loaded with explosives and used to hunt down enemy infantry or infiltrate bunkers and tanks.
Drones’ effectiveness on the battlefield can’t be overestimated, and many of the startups I spoke to in Ukraine were focused on a specific aspect to increase it further. Some of this is simply building better drones: faster, more range, able to carry more. Vyriy is probably the leader when it comes to this, growing exponentially as it develops new machines as fast as the front needs them, often acquiring startups to speed up the process.
Besides creating their own drones, Ukrainian startups are also working on ways to detect enemy drones coming their way. One great example is Falcons, which works on detection systems that can be carried easily by frontline troops. In fact, one of its founders was and is on active duty, using his time in the field to think up ways to refine his company’s tech.
Battlefield testing
In fact, once you start talking to Ukrainian defensetech companies, you quickly realize that unlike their foreign counterparts, almost all of them will have close ties to the military and to the battlefield. All ideas are tested there, and sooner rather than later.
This was made clear at a small, private event held on the eve of IT Arena, another tech conference in Lviv, held a week after DTV. Organized by think-tank Snake Island Institute and the Women in Defense Tech organization, this event saw 10 soldiers present their innovations to a small group of investors. In VC terms, these startups were as pre-seed as they get, with many products existing only as prototypes.
Though some of the ideas presented focused on whole drones – one startup had an idea on how to dramatically cut costs by using new materials – most presenters had one specific idea of what needed to be improved.
These included improving a guidance system, or providing better communication between machines in the form of a support drone that maintained the link between operators and their machines even over large distances; no undue luxury in Ukraine’s stretched out landscape.
This point was also made by Misha Rudominski from Himera, which focuses on building communication handsets: everything gets tested all the time in Ukraine, and in the worst conditions available: real conditions, sometimes even while under enemy fire.
Outsiders welcome
However, all this doesn’t mean that there’s no place for foreign defensetech startups in Ukraine, and in fact many in the country welcome startups coming from abroad to help test whatever they’re working on.
One European company I spoke to was SkyGrids, which works on lasers that can shoot down drones. While on the expo floor, they received a lot of interest, with the express intention of testing it out on the battlefield as soon as possible. If it seems useful, a Ukrainian brigade will want to check things out.
However, being in a new country can throw up blocks you may not have expected, which is why some companies have decided to band together as they explore the exciting, but sometimes murky Ukrainian market. I spoke to Wouter Hollander, a representative of the Dutch Defence Cluster, a group that aims to improve cooperation between Dutch companies and Ukraine.
“You have to be here,” Hollander emphasizes, “and you have to have a mindset to innovate much faster than most western companies are used to. The Ukrainians have a gun pointed at their head, and they have no other choice than ‘go, go, go.’”
