Dorozvidka #34: The French ‘Drone Wall’ in Ukraine, Mike Pompeo and Fire Point, Bloomberg and Le Monde

Ukrainian defence tech is once again on the front pages of global media. Outlets are reporting, among other things, that Ukraine has become a global leader in drone production and is ready to manufacture UAVs for NATO countries — and together with NATO countries. Moving in the opposite direction is the technology of the French startup Atreyd, which is sending to Ukraine its integrated drone-interceptor system capable of shooting down Shaheds and other hostile UAVs.

Meanwhile, Fire Point has established a supervisory board, and one of its members is former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Dorozvidka #34 also features two video reports on UGVs from Ukrainian media.

How Ukraine can scale ground robotic warfare

In the latest episode of ZBROYA, a video project by Militarnyi and the Ukrainian Defence Council, two well-known experts discuss ground robotic systems. One is Oleksandr Yabchanka, head of the Robotic Systems Service of the Da Vinci Wolves battalion. The other is Maksym Vasyllchenko, CEO of Tencore and head of the Ukrainian Association of Robotic Forces.

Here’s what they discussed:
– Why demand for UGVs in the army is high but still unmet
– How long the journey from order to frontline takes (and why it can be 7 months)
– UGV use-case scenarios
– Real UGV losses on the frontline and why they will only increase
– Why localisation of components is critical for Ukraine
– Joint Ukrainian-European production: opportunity or myth?
– Whether a fully autonomous logistics robot without an operator is possible
– Whether the AOS “UGV constructor” system will work

Le Monde on autonomy in Ukrainian drones

French newspaper Le Monde published a detailed article on how drones equipped with the TFL-1 autonomy system, developed by Ukrainian startup The Fourth Law, are used on the battlefield. The piece includes comments from co-founder Yaroslav Azhnyuk and from units using Fourth Law-guided drones, including Nemesis.

Azhnyuk has posted selected excerpts on his Facebook page as well as a full translation prepared by ChatGPT.

Atreyd: The French “Drone Wall” for Ukraine

A “Drone Wall” created by French startup Atreyd will soon be deployed in Ukraine, Business Insider reports, citing the company founder. The system is designed to intercept drones, including Shaheds.

According to the publication, the system consists of dozens of small drones equipped with explosive charges. They launch from ground platforms, forming a kind of “minefield” in the sky. The system is said to be fully autonomous, using AI to adapt the wall’s structure to the trajectory of incoming targets. Each interception costs a few thousand dollars, and drones that do not detonate return to the launch platform for reuse.

The outlet reports that Atreyd has already shipped the system to Ukraine. It will be ready for operation within a few weeks.

Mike Pompeo joins the Fire Point supervisory board

Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has joined the supervisory board of the Ukrainian defence company Fire Point, which manufactures the FP-1 and FP-2 drones, as well as the FP-5 “Flamingo” cruise missile. The news was reported by The Associated Press.

According to the outlet, the supervisory board was created on 12 November as part of a strategy to strengthen the company’s international presence. One of the board members is Pompeo. “It’s a great honour for us,” said Fire Point CTO Iryna Terekh. The article also notes that Fire Point is building a new plant in Denmark to produce solid rocket fuel and plans to double its current production capacity.

At the same time, Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau is investigating Fire Point. Investigators are examining the company’s opaque ownership structure and its potential connections to Tymur Mindich, a close friend and business partner of President Volodymyr Zelensky. The article cites Denys Shtilerman, who calls himself the majority owner. He confirmed that he had met Mindich several times, but denied any business ties or Mindich’s involvement in the company. According to Iryna Terekh, the company has ordered an independent audit to refute all allegations.

Bloomberg on Ukrainian drones for Europe and the opening of exports

A major Bloomberg article reports that Ukraine’s drone industry is growing rapidly and is now targeting NATO markets to secure funding and scale production. Some Ukrainian companies are already opening factories in Europe (TSIR in Finland, Skyeton in Slovakia) to be closer to allies and reduce risks associated with manufacturing in a war zone. Bloomberg writes that drone production in Ukraine may now exceed the total output of all NATO countries combined.

For European countries, this is a chance to obtain battle-tested, modern drones; for Ukraine, an opportunity to attract essential financing and establish safer production lines far from the frontline.

Key answers on UGVs from the DevDroid CEO

Dorozvidka began with a UGV video — and ends with one. In an interview with the TV channel “My — Ukraine”, DevDroid CEO Yurii Poritskyi explains how ground robotic systems work at the front. Key topics include:

– Unified UGV control on the frontline
– How operators are trained to control ground robotic platforms
– UGV evacuation and repair on the frontline
– Challenges for UGV developers
– UGV–UAV combined tactics on the battlefield
– The future of ground robotic systems

Previous editions of Dorozvidka are here.