Valkyrie Dynamics raises €1m for interceptor drone radar and is already preparing its new version

Ukrainian-Lithuanian company Valkyrie Dynamics has raised €1m to produce a miniature radar for interceptor drones. The pre-seed round was led by French venture studio Hexa, with participation from business angels.

Defender learned of the funding from Valkyrie Dynamics and asked CEO Marcin Kovalevskij when serial production of the radar is to begin and what its next version will look like.

How Valkyrie Dynamics’ miniature radar works

The product the company is developing is called Heimdall. It is an onboard radar seeker installed on an interceptor drone. It emits radio waves around the drone and shows the operator targets at a distance of 100–500 metres.

Valkyrie Dynamics explains that interceptor operators usually locate enemy drones with a camera during the final phase of flight. However, clouds or precipitation reduce visibility, whereas the built-in radar, according to the manufacturer, can detect a target in any weather.

The company is currently completing testing and integration with customers and military units in Ukraine. One of Valkyrie Dynamics’ known partnerships is a joint project with Korven Systems. The company, led by Yevhen Zhebko, is developing an ecosystem of software and hardware solutions, including an autopilot for a high-speed interceptor.

In parallel, the Ukrainian-Lithuanian developer is scaling up radar production and plans to release a first small batch based on the current model this month. Serial production is to follow, although the expected volumes have not yet been disclosed. Once it starts, the radar is to cost under €300.

What has attracted investors to the company

By October 2026, Valkyrie had a working prototype and joined Hexa Sprint Defense. It is an accelerator programme for early-stage European startups in defence and dual-use technologies.

The programme was launched in 2025 by French venture studio Hexa. It offers founders three tracks: Start, Sprint and Scale, helping them to launch a startup, accelerate its growth or scale up.

Under Sprint, which Valkyrie Dynamics joined, the venture studio invests €500,000 in the startup.

Hexa partner Guillaume Lerouge says that Valkyrie Dynamics is solving a problem that every European army will soon face: drones that are difficult to shoot down in poor weather. At the same time, the manufacturer’s advantage is its team in Kyiv, which quickly receives feedback from the front.

‘We are proud that Valkyrie has become the first Ukrainian team in our programme’, Lerouge adds. Kovalevskij says he was introduced to the Hexa partner by mutual investor contacts.

Portfolio and team plans

In addition to producing the first version of the radar seeker, the funds are to go towards developing a new version of the product and expanding the team.

Kovalevskij explains that for the next version of Heimdall, the team is focusing on increasing detection range: the radar is to be able to spot enemy drones at distances of up to 1 km.

‘We are also working on a higher data refresh rate and a wider field of view. All of this will be possible thanks to the radar’s new architecture’, the founder adds. Later, the company also plans to adapt its product for ground vehicles and other uncrewed systems.

Valkyrie Dynamics’ headquarters is in Lithuania, while its R&D lab and prototyping centre operate in Kyiv. The staff expansion concerns the engineering team based in Ukraine.

The company is looking for a specialist who can work with mechanics, embedded software and radio frequency systems. As production scales up and the next version of Heimdall is developed, the company plans to add other engineering roles.

At the end of 2026, the company also plans to open European technical integration centres to work with NATO procurement programmes.