Darkstar invests €600,000 in the development of a Ukrainian-Estonian high-precision bomb

Ukrainian-Estonian developer Deftak has received €600,000 in investment to develop high-precision strike ammunition for small unmanned systems.

Representatives of the European defense investment fund Darkstar shared this with Militarnyi.

Deftak is developing a new type of weapon that can be integrated with any unmanned aerial platform. This will allow reconnaissance drones to be converted into high-precision strike UAVs even in difficult radio-electronic conditions when GPS signals are unavailable.

Test footage from the developers’ website shows that the unnamed munition can be used from hovering drones and hit targets from high altitudes. This tech could take the Ukrainian military’s heavy bomber drones to a whole new level.

According to the developers, the technology has reportedly already passed combat tests and costs up to 10 times less than traditional systems.

The funds raised will help Deftak scale up production and strengthen its capabilities to assist the Ukrainian and NATO defense forces.

“Deftak is one of the most daring and effective teams I have ever worked with,” Darkstar co-founder Ragnar Sass shared. “The realities of electronic warfare (EW) in the war in Ukraine are changing every three months, and Deftak is the best example of a team and product that can give Ukraine and NATO a critical advantage over the enemy today and in the future.”

Deftak is currently actively expanding its team and looking for an operations manager to help structure the company. The position is open to those who live in Kyiv or are willing to relocate. Details can be found here.

Darkstar investments

Darkstar connects Ukrainian and European defense startups with those who best understand the needs of the front lines — the Ukrainian military. The fund is known for its regular five-day boot camps in Ukraine, where teams can raise up to €1.5 million in funding to develop their projects.

Previously, the defense-tech startup support project had already invested €600,000 in another Ukrainian-Estonian startup specializing in creating a battlefield reconnaissance and situational awareness system, Farsight Vision.

The development is designed to solve logistics and mission planning problems in unfamiliar terrain by creating a three-dimensional model of the operational area and other tools. The platform has reportedly received positive feedback from the Ukrainian military.

Last December, Militarnyi visited the Darkstar boot camp, where the reporters spoke with representatives of the initiative and developers of innovations that could potentially influence the balance of power on the battlefield. Read more on the developments and projects presented in this article.