Ukrainian drone autonomy developer NORDA Dynamics raises $1M with Varangians as lead investor

Ukrainian developer of autonomous control systems for drones NORDA Dynamics has raised $1 million in investment, with Swedish investment company Varangians acting as lead investor.

The round also included participation from Ukrainian fund Angel One, US–Ukrainian firm MITS Capital, the angel syndicate United Angels Network, and US-based Unpopular VC.

NORDA Dynamics plans to direct the funds towards expanding production and its team, as well as developing new products aimed at enhancing UAV autonomy. “We were among the first in the world to scale autonomy modules to tens of thousands of combat applications in modern warfare, and we are now ready for the next stage,” said Nazar Bihun, co-founder and CEO of NORDA Dynamics.

Founded in 2024, NORDA Dynamics focuses on creating autonomous UAV control systems capable of operating without GPS, traditional communication channels, or in environments with heavy electronic warfare. According to Bihun, since 2022 the demand for such solutions has surged dramatically, as modern combat operations are increasingly conducted in conditions of complete communication and navigation denial.

Among the company’s flagship products is the Underdog universal autonomy module. “Today, this is the most widely used system for guiding UAVs to their targets in the combat zone,” Bihun noted.

Another key innovation is StableLink, a system for stabilising drone position by azimuth and altitude. The company says it ensures precise UAV control even under active jamming and complete GPS denial. StableLink is already widely deployed in autonomous relay and minelaying drone missions, providing stable and accurate execution of combat tasks.

Pär Lager, CEO of Varangians, said that together with partners he had met many strong defence tech companies in Ukraine – and NORDA’s team stood out as one of the best. “The company is solving one of the battlefield’s key challenges and has the team and expertise to continue developing innovative solutions,” he added.

The NORDA Dynamics team says its solutions enable mission execution without operator involvement, even in complex combat or isolated environments. According to the company, NORDA’s ecosystem products are already integrated with dozens of Ukrainian drone manufacturers and have been tested in real combat conditions.