Lithuanian advanced swarm detection company Unmanned Defense Systems (UDS) today announced it has raised €3.2M to scale battlefield-tested UAVs and advance AI-based swarm integrations with contemporary battlefield management systems.
UDS has also designed its own fleet of UAVs (unmanned aerial vehicles), ranging from reconnaissance drones Partisan to loitering munition and FPV drones.
The company has already won multiple defence procurement tenders and supplies its solutions to the Lithuanian and Ukrainian armed forces, other EU members, and NATO allies.
A strong team bringing money and expertise
Joining the leadership are Vytenis Buzas, one of the creators of the first Lithuanian satellite “Lituanica SAT-1” and the space mission leader, and Ernestas Kalabuckas, “Lithuanian CTO of the Year 2022” who are contributing personally €1.1 million to the company.
Vytenis Buzas, nominated Executive Chairman of the Board, says:
“We have the ambition to prove to the world that Lithuania is as great in developing high-tech military UAVs, as we are in aerospace or lasers. Moreover, the team is united by a burning inner drive to help Ukrainians win this brutal war.”
War in Ukraine has demonstrated a transformative potential of UAVs, even those not yet functioning in swarms. They play pivotal roles in intelligence gathering, surveillance, and precision strikes.
Ernestas Kalabuckas, incoming CTO, shared:
“We are grateful to our military partners in Ukraine for running frequent tests together in the actual warzone, enabling agile and swift technology upgrades in response to the constantly changing conditions on the battlefield.”
Coinvest Capital, with a group of business angels and one angel syndicate of 41 private investors, is co-investing €1.6 million with a fund’s share of €0.9 million.
The business angels, that co-invested with the Fund, are members of the Lithuanian Business Angel Network, including its Board members Vladas Lašas, Rita Sakus, Martynas Kandzeras, and Gytenis Galkis, also Giedrimas Jeglinskas, Šarūnas Račkauskas, Paulius Vilemas, and Linas Sargautis.
An additional €0.5 million is reserved for international investors with dual-use sector expertise, and it will be closed within the next few months.
UDS Drones are key to modern warfare
The Minister of Defense, Laurynas Kasčiūnas, asserts:
‘Lithuania can have its own success story. We no longer have the luxury of standing still when the development of technology is currently very fast and dynamic.
We must keep pace with the latest military trends and be able to effectively integrate them into our defence system.
According to Viktorija Trimbel, Managing Director at Coinvest Capital, who has led transaction negotiations, emphasises:
“Being a sovereign VC fund, the first and the largest in the Baltics, fully authorised to invest in defence, we have patient capital and a mission that perfectly aligns with the specifics of defence and dual-use innovation needs and decision-making cycles.”
Giedrimas Jeglinskas, former NATO Assistant General Secretary and former Vice-minister of Defence of the Republic of Lithuania, is co-investing his personal funds and nominated to represent investors on the board of the company. He sees the UDS drones solutions are a reflection of the realities of today’s changes in warfare:
“At the NATO level, the guidance of a common “drone” doctrine will open up opportunities for cutting-edge technology developers such as UDS to grow both in NATO and in friendly markets further afield.”
Investments will be directed to continuing to develop proprietary swarm technologies, fostering advancements in drone autonomy and inter-drone coordination, strengthening NATO’s military capacity, and aligning it with the demands of 21st-century warfare.
Lead image: UDS’ fixed-wing UA was taken at the unofficial NATO Summit side event, which was co-hosted by Coinvest Capital. Photo: Gabrielius Jauniškis.
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