Defense startups have become a driving force for technological change during the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war. Innovative developments of startups often turn into real game changers.

Bringing together such startups, their investors, and creating a platform for technological solutions helps them grow faster. The Darkstar Coalition Initiative has become one of the key platforms for consolidating Ukrainian defense startups.

Militarnyi team visited the Darkstar bootcamp, where we talked to representatives of the Initiative and innovations’ developers, people whose solutions could affect the balance of power on the battlefield in the future.

Darkstar is a coalition of more than 30 startup founders and investors from Estonia, Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Finland, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Ukraine who have united for a common goal: the development of the European defense technology ecosystem.

Brave1, Heroes & Allies, representatives of military intelligence and the Unmanned Systems Forces have already joined Darkstar’s partners.

At each bootcamp, more than 20+ military units actively cooperate with the coalition, providing operational feedback on the effectiveness of the latest technologies and the results of their combat use.

The mission of the Darkstar Coalition is to unite defense startups on a single platform, creating a market for ready-made technological solutions. This accelerates the development of new products and reduces their cost.

Darkstar brings together three key components necessary for startups to succeed and scale: the Ukrainian military, defense startups, and Western investors.

The event is held in compliance with all safety standards and is free for all participants. It is one of the few bootcamps that works with military and dual-use technologies.

The bootcamp program includes practical workshops on various topics, including how to scale a team while keeping it motivated and how to organize sales at NATO member states markets.

The participants also discussed grant financing, which is becoming an increasingly popular tool for the development of defense startups in Europe.

The platform brings together a variety of technological solutions, ranging from ground, air, and sea drones to acoustic reconnaissance systems.

In particular, the Brightstar team presented a laser illumination system that creates a laser “track” when used.

One of the problems with detecting Russian kamikaze strike drones in the night sky, when using searchlights, is their low visual visibility, especially if they are painted black.

In addition, searchlights illuminate the area surrounding the target, complicating efforts to aim at them accurately.

Reflecting off the surface of an object, the laser beam illuminates only its silhouette, eliminating glare and allowing for targeted fire.

The Vidar Systems team presented a frontline acoustic reconnaissance system designed to detect enemy cannon and rocket artillery.

The system can be deployed via drone either directly on the front line or deep within enemy territory, operate autonomously, and relay information about detected enemy firepower.

The startup Frontline has presented a multi-purpose turret that can be mounted both on the ground and on a variety of vehicles, including armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, tanks, and self-propelled artillery systems.

The turret weighs only 47 kilograms and, depending on the combat module, can have a kill radius of 70 meters to 2 km.

The product features gyro stabilization and ballistic calculators for different types of ammunition. The main task is to enable personnel to work with weapons remotely and from safe positions, as well as to significantly improve their performance.

Developers from the Farsight Vision startup team presented an intelligence and situational awareness system that combines and “stitches” together photos and videos from drones to create a digital twin.

This solves many problems in mission planning (e.g., unfamiliar terrain, logistics, weapon placement, etc.).

This significantly reduces the time required to process this data from days to minutes, increasing the number of both available and successful missions.

Plastun

During the event, TridentTech demonstrated the Plastun unmanned ground platform. It is already in operation in the Ukrainian Defense Forces.

The Plastun is a small portable modular multi-tasking system with high cross-country capability that can perform a wide range of combat operations.

The platform can carry up to 50 kilograms of payload and combat payload, which can be installed simultaneously.

Plastun’s payload is represented by two types of mines: TM-62 and TM-72. The manufacturer provides an option to install a module that allows carrying up to four of these mines.

In addition, a module for the transportation of engineered ammunition PTM-3 can be installed. The drone can also act as a carrier for FPV drones.

In the version with a full payload (up to 4 mines), the drone has a combat radius of 5 kilometers and the ability to operate autonomously for up to 4 hours.

Plastun is capable of conducting reconnaissance operations and can be equipped with a telescopic mast featuring a camera with both day and thermal imaging capabilities.

In its logistics configuration, the drone is designed to transport two days’ provisions for four soldiers. This includes one pallet of water, four MREs, boxes of ammunition, 20 grenades, first aid kits, and a set of tools. A specialized removable frame ensures the cargo is securely fastened.

This variant of the drone allows it to have a combat radius of up to 12 kilometers with an autonomy of up to 4 hours.

The total weight of the Plastun is 45 kilograms; when folded, it fits into the trunk of sedans, SUVs, and pickup trucks, and can be disassembled and transported in any vehicle.

The drone’s design is frame, quick-assembly, wheels are tubeless, and the batteries are quick-replaceable. The Plastun has a high degree of cross-country ability, can pass through sandy and marshy terrain, overcome water obstacles, stairs and 45-degree climbs.

The DarkStar team is working hard and will hold its third bootcamp for defense startups in Ukraine.

If you are a startup developing defense technology, you can apply for the next bootcamp here. Stay updated on other defense tech events and news by following their LinkedIn page.