The Brave1 Defense Technology Cluster held the Happy New Fear hackathon to find the best technological solutions for destroying the enemy’s rear, as well as “smart” mining of the enemy’s likely approach routes.

This was reported to Militarnyi by representatives of the Brave1 cluster.

The hackathon was organized by the Brave1 technology cluster with the support of U Force, D3, Auterion, TAF Drones, Skyeton, Skyfall, and Airlogix.

The event was attended by more than 200 innovators, as well as the representatives of government agencies, the Security and Defense Forces, manufacturing companies and other participants in the defense innovation ecosystem.

During the first day of the hackathon, a conference was held to discuss the development of defense innovations in 2024 and prospects for development in 2025.

“In a technological war, the situation on the battlefield is changing very quickly. Drones, robotic platforms, artificial intelligence developments have become new weapons, and innovations decide who will gain the advantage. So our task is to quickly implement technological solutions to stay ahead of the enemy. Today, Ukraine is not only a battlefield, but also a place where unique defense developments are born that change the rules of war,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, Minister of Digital Transformation, at the conference.

Results of Brave1 activities

At the same time, Nataliia Kushnerska, head of the Brave1 cluster, reported that over 1.5 years of work, more than 3,200 developments from more than 1,400 manufacturers have been registered. In particular, more than 800 UAVs, 280 ground robotic systems, 240 electronic warfare systems, 220 ammunition for drones. As well as more than 200 solutions using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies.

More than 230 developments have been codified in accordance with NATO standards.

In addition, the cluster has issued more than 400 grants worth more than UAH 800 million and helped attract more than $40 million in private investment to the Ukrainian defense industry.

The conference also identified priority technologies for development in 2025: missiles, anti-Shahed, lasers, surface and underwater drones, drone swarms, autonomous weapons systems, carrier drones, Ukrainian Mavic, and guided munitions.

During the second and third days of the hackathon, more than 40 Ukrainian teams were looking for solutions in the following areas

• strategic intelligence
• strategic weapon systems;
• remote and programmable mining.

The teams were assisted by professional mentors, including military officers and defense technology experts, in creating their solutions.

As a result, 47 teams presented their projects to the hackathon jury, which included the representatives of the Security and Defence Forces and military experts.

“The strength of Ukraine’s defense innovation ecosystem lies in its openness to new ideas and the speed with which these ideas are implemented. Thanks to such defense tech hackathons, the defense industry and the military not only receive effective solutions, but also teams that are ready to create such solutions on a regular basis. I am confident that the enemy will soon receive their “gifts” from Ukrainian developers,” said Nataliia Kushnerska.

As a reminder, in early December 2024, Ukraine hosted the Jammer Hackathon, during which developers created electronic solutions to combat drones.