TOLOKA underwater drone manufacturer secures investment from NETWORK.VC DEFENSE

U.S.-Ukrainian venture fund NETWORK.VC DEFENSE, formerly known as OPPND, has announced a strategic investment in TOLOKA, a Ukrainian defence company developing autonomous underwater drones. The investor shared the details with Defender Media.

The financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The funding will be used to further develop TOLOKA’s technologies, scale production, and expand the company’s presence on international defence markets.

TOLOKA develops a family of multi-purpose autonomous underwater vehicles. The company’s product line includes three core platforms.

TOLOKA-200 is a compact autonomous underwater drone measuring 2.5 metres in length, with a range of up to 100 km, payload capacity of up to 20 kg, and speed of up to 15 knots. The platform is designed for reconnaissance, engineering, and special operations missions.

TOLOKA-400 is a medium-class autonomous underwater vehicle measuring 7–12 metres in length, with a range of up to 1,200 km, payload capacity of up to 500 kg, operating depth of up to 300 metres, and endurance of up to 30 days. The system can perform reconnaissance, strike, and communications missions, including signal relay functions.

TOLOKA-1000 is a large autonomous underwater platform measuring 12 metres in length, featuring a composite-material hull, range of up to 2,000 km, and payload capacity of up to 5,000 kg. It is designed for long-range maritime missions over extended periods.

The company says TOLOKA’s key technological advantage is autonomous underwater navigation that can work without GPS. The systems use dead-reckoning navigation based on inertial sensors and trajectory-correction algorithms, supported by a neural network trained to orient in underwater environments. According to the developers, this enables the platforms to maintain course, complete missions, and operate autonomously even without satellite signals, radio communications, or in the presence of electronic warfare systems.

TOLOKA systems can operate independently or as part of coordinated groups, supporting interaction between vehicles and enabling distributed maritime missions. Some configurations are capable of remaining in standby mode for up to three months.

The company noted that in February 2025, President Volodymyr Zelensky presented the TOLOKA system to allied leaders during the Support Ukraine summit in Kyiv. In September 2025, the TOLOKA product line was showcased at the Brave1 Defense Tech Valley 2025 forum in Lviv. In 2026, the systems were also presented at the Road to URC 2026 — Security and Defence Dimension event attended by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko.