The business, which operates a plant in Singapore, is discussing cooperation with local partners elsewhere to extend its production footprint in the coming two years, an executive said.

Ira Hughes, a senior director of sales at Doodle Labs, told Defense News the company specializes in long-range, wireless mesh networking solutions that power drones and robotics. In Ukraine, the business works with local suppliers of unmanned systems and the Ukrainian military to adapt its radio solutions to the evolving threats on the battlefield.

“One of our customers makes two different types of drones. They make an inexpensive drone … with a cheap radio and camera system in it, and then they make a drone with our radio in it, and they use that for higher-value targets,” Hughes said. “They’ll go back to us and say: For vehicles with jammers, tanks with jammers, we go with your radios first, and this lets us change channels very quickly if we come under a jam.”

“We also have a very wide range of frequencies we can upgrade to in a single radio,” Hughes added. “So if we can move from the channels that they’re trying to jam to an unjammed channel, we continue to operate, and we can continue to get to the target.”

Amid rising demand for its radio systems, Doodle Labs is holding talks with manufacturers in the U.S. and Europe to launch local production. In particular, the company keeps an eye on a specific stateside policy provision.

“We are working on the ability to do U.S. manufacturing when needed. We’ll manufacture with a third party … and as the NDAA requirements change in the United States and the Made in America incentives come, we’ll be prepared and able to manufacture in the United States,” Hughes said, referring to the National Defense Authorization Act, an annual legislative vehicle for enacting defense-acquisition policies.

As drone production continues to increase in Western countries, allied nations will also need to ramp up their radio production as the existing supply chains lag behind the demand for unmanned systems, according to Hughes.

“A lot of those systems need advanced radios to be able to operate at the ranges and in the difficult conditions that they operate in,” he said. “We can make tens of thousands of radios a month, millions of radios a year if we need to.”

The company is in talks with a French producer to launch manufacturing of its solutions abroad and is also looking for partners in other European countries, according to a senior company representative.

Oleksii Konik, the co-founder of Trinity Robotics, told Defense News that the company initially planned to make around 1,100 UGVs this year, but, with the Ukrainian military increasing its orders, the business is ramping up throughput at its facilities in Ukraine.

“We work with the [Ukrainian] military procurement agency and more than 20 military units directly,” Konik said. “The most important mission that we have now is the robotization of the battlefield, because only this will allow our country to win the war.”

The company’s flagship UGV, Konyk One, is suitable for performing logistics and medical evacuation tasks. At the same time, Trinity Robotics is working on a new variant that will be fitted with a turret. This will enable users to deploy the UGV for combat operations, according to the co-founder.

While some Ukrainian officials expect the country’s ban on exporting weapons could be lifted this year, local defense companies are currently prohibited from exporting their wares. Meanwhile, Trinity Robotics is discussing cooperation with partners from allied countries to produce its unmanned vehicles abroad.

“We are looking for partners, manufacturers from Europe that manufacture trucks, vehicles, military parts,” Konik said. “We have an opportunity to create a joint enterprise in Europe … to produce our UGVs.”

“This will allow us to give additional volumes of our UGVs to our end users who are interested in that,” he said.

Under Kyiv’s Build with Ukraine program, joint manufacturing isprimarily intended to cover the needs of the country’s armed forces, but surplus output can be exported to other countries.

The company’s co-founder said that Trinity Robotics is currently negotiating with an unnamed French producer to launch a joint venture and produce its UGVs abroad. The Ukrainian manufacturer is also working to secure funds for its expansion, with recent investors including Sweden’s Front Ventures and Hede Capital Partners.

In its standard version, Konyk One weighs 460 kg (1,014 lb) and has a load capacity of up to 300 kg, according to data from the producer.

Production activities at the facility, which will be capable of manufacturing 3,000 autonomous interceptors per month, are scheduled to begin this August, according to a senior company representative.

Balázs Nagy, the chief executive and co-founder of Tytan Technologies, told Defense News the company’s interceptor drones are extensively used in Ukraine where the nation’s military has employed them as a cost-efficient, effective and easy-to-use solution to counter airborne threats.

Legacy “systems couldn’t prove themselves in Ukraine. Bigger platforms have been destroyed with just very, very cheap drones. What we are doing at Tytan is we are making protecting the same airspace 200 times cheaper than with legacy systems,” Nagy said.

“And how we are doing that is by producing and developing autonomous counter-drone systems to neutralize enemy drones in the air,” he added. This is a major paradigm shift, going from very hard and expensive hardware to very simple and scalable hardware and very sophisticated software.”

Building on its interceptors’ use by a rising number of allies, including Germany and the Baltic States, Tytan Technologies is advancing projects to expand its manufacturing foothold into new markets, with Poland and Hungary named as potential locations for new factories.

“With the launch of our new, bigger German factory, we have a blueprint that we can use to scale up production in different regions,” Nagy said.

Tytan Technologies offers a range of autonomous interceptors which are powered by AI. These include: the EOS, a short-range multicopter interceptor developed to counter small drones categorized as NATO Class I unmanned threats; and the METIS, a long-range fixed-wing interceptor designed to neutralize NATO Class II drones, according to data from the company.

The development comes shortly after Prime Minister Donald Tusk announced the company has offered Poland a role in its X-BAT autonomous vertical-takeoff fighter jet program, including some of the manufacturing activities for the craft.

Shield AI said in a statement that the V-BAT will be deployed aboard a Polish Navy vessel, ensuring maritime domain awareness and intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) support to the force.

“V-BAT has proven its capabilities in Ukraine and beyond, particularly in environments where communications and GPS links are disrupted or denied,” Ryan Tseng, Shield AI’s president, co-founder and chief strategy officer, was quoted in the statement. “Operations in the Baltic Sea, where security threats against critical energy and communications infrastructure are becoming more frequent, demand reliable sensor platforms and systems in all-weather conditions and sea states.”

The Armament Agency, the Polish ministry’s procurement arm, said in a statement that “the delivery of the system, which comprises several platforms, is planned for later in 2026.”

The deal puts Poland in line to become the first country on NATO’s eastern flank to acquire the drone. Warsaw will join other operators, including Greece and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. Navy and the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force, according to data from Shield AI.

“In addition to the aircraft themselves, the V-BAT system comes with ground control stations, antennas, spares, and maintenance equipment, and other operating equipment needed to maintain operational readiness,” a spokesperson for Shield AI told Defense News.

The spokesperson said that “Shield AI is actively pursuing partnerships with Polish industry to support future autonomy, aviation, and defense programs. We look forward to expanding our engagement with Poland and sharing additional details in the coming months.”

Since 2025, when Poland launched the Drone Force, its latest military component, the country has accelerated purchases of various classes of unmanned systems. Last month, the nation also joined the Pentagon’s counter-drone initiative to gain access to a marketplace that connects partner countries with emerging technology suppliers.

“Their intention is to also cooperate with Poland, and to produce in Poland, for the X-BAT program, the first autonomous combat aircraft in the world,” Tusk said at a June 16 press conference in Warsaw. “It’s top-tier technology, a chance for air domination in case of an armed conflict, and an incredibly ambitious project with regard to technology and innovativeness.”

Shield AI unveiled the X-BAT in October 2025, promoting its artificial intelligence-driven unmanned fighter capable of vertical takeoffs and landings as a platform suitable for expeditionary and maritime operations in contested environments.

“At the core of X-BAT is Shield AI’s Hivemind, AI-enabled autonomy software designed to fly platforms in communications-denied, degraded, and limited environments,” the company said in a statement. “Hivemind enables X-BAT to autonomously penetrate contested battlespace, dynamically team with manned aircraft, and execute collaborative tactics without constant communications. This autonomy allows X-BAT to function as a drone wingman or as a standalone asset.”

The latest announcement comes as the Polish government is mulling plans to acquire up to 32 new fighter jets, with some of the evaluated options including: Lockheed Martin’s F-35; the Eurofighter Typhoon, a jet produced by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo; and Boeing’s F-15EX.

At the same time, Warsaw is also considering to join the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP) and involve the country’s defense sector in the project to develop a sixth-generation fighter jet. The Polish government is evaluating whether engaging its state-dominated defense industry in the tri-nation initiative, which is spearheaded by Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom, could boost the sector’s capacities and innovativeness, according to Polish Deputy State Assets Minister Konrad Gołota.

Set up in 2015, Shield AI is a venture-backed defense tech company. In addition to X-BAT and Hivemind, its other products include the V-BAT drone.

Lithuania’s Aktyvus Photonics has announced it is tripling the production of its ultra-compact UAV laser-designation systems this year, using its 2025 profits to expand operations. As Ukraine’s front lines rely on small drones, and the laser systems that guide the Ukrainian military’s missiles are predominantly heavy and expensive, the company has developed a system that fits in a hand and weighs 200 grams, according to company representatives.

“Our laser components are supplied to defense integrators and contractors across NATO-allied Europe. As we are a Lithuanian company on NATO’s eastern flank, the Baltic region is a natural focus for us — both geographically and strategically, given the security environment here,” Laurynas Šatas, the CEO of Aktyvus Photonics, told Defense News. “Our technology is also present in Ukraine, where real battlefield conditions have tested and validated what we build.”

Estonian company Threod Systems continues to expand its range of drone launchers and UAVs that are also employed in Ukraine’s combat against the Russian invasion. At this year’s Eurosatory, the producer is unveiling its Eos D ISTAR, a new-generation smallvertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone.

The solution combines a lightweight aircraft with a high-capability sensor system “to bring laser designation and reconnaissance capability into a lightweight unmanned aircraft system,” the Estonian company said in a statement.

“Laser designation itself is not a new capability, but a precision-support function should not be limited to larger systems or unmanned platforms,” said Arno Vaik, the CEO of Threod Systems. “Our focus has been to bring that capability into a smaller VTOL UAS that tactical units can deploy and operate significantly more easily.”

Threod Systems has used feedback from operators in Ukraine, where the company runs a training center, to enhance the software algorithms and operating procedures for its craft. The gear’s combat experience has facilitated exports to 27 countries, including 14 NATO member states, according to data from Threod Systems.

The technology aims to find small, low-altitude drones, including those connected to operators via long command wires, a setup that makes them immune to defensive electronic warfare.

Maks Dzherikhov, the co-founder of Molfar Defence, told Defense News the company is working on solutions to complement the existing air-defense infrastructure, which is increasingly struggling to identify smaller and slower-moving airborne threats.

“We see how quickly drone production is scaling up globally, and how fast autonomous radio protocols and capabilities are growing. Also, we see that large and expensive radar systems can be destroyed, and the recent situation in the Gulf region shows that high-value radar infrastructure can be targeted and damaged very easily. When this happens, you create blind spots,” Dzherikhov said. “At Molfar, our main focus is on the detection of low-flying UAVs, especially multi-rotor drones in difficult conditions.”

Incursions by Russian drones into NATO airspace, paired with Russia’s tactic of using GPS spoofing to steer Ukrainian strike drones off course and drive them into allied territory, are pushing eastern flank states to intensify investments into counter-drone measures.

At recent tests held in Latvia’s Sēlija, which hosts NATO’s new unmanned systems testing range, European startups were able to successfully take down numerous drones. However, every failed attempt served as a reminder of the challenges that companies face in adapting their solutions to evolving battlefield threats.

Molfar’s radars use advanced signal processing and multidimensional structural target representation to distinguish drones from other airborne objects, and are capable of operating in complex environments and adverse weather conditions, according to the company’s co-founder.

“Fiber-optic drones, and in general drones using transmission, are developing very fast. Such drones are difficult to detect because they fly very low, close to the ground. They’re very small, and for many radars detecting them is a huge challenge,” he said. “In the past, radar systems were developed to detect really big and very fast-moving targets.”

To finance its development work, the Polish-Ukrainian company recently secured a new investor, Sweden’s Front Ventures, which led a €2 million ($2.3 million) funding round with its €1.5 million investment.

The company’s head office is in Poland’s capital Warsaw, and Molfar Defence is currently opening a Ukrainian branch that will cooperate with Ukraine’s military to adapt its radar systems to combat conditions. Under the plan, mass production is scheduled to begin in late 2027, according to Dzherikhov.

Local officials say they believe the remaining months of 2026 are a realistic timeframe for the first export contracts.

We have “discussed in detail with the Minister of Defense of Ukraine the launch of arms exports, specifically the regulatory steps intended to support our state’s agreements and weapons production,” Zelenskyy wrote in an April 29 social media post.

Ukraine’s arms makers have touted their products as having been successfully used in an intense land conflict not witnessed in Europe since World War 2. At the same time, the Ukrainian defense industry is required by law to deliver its entire output to the country’s armed forces.

Vadym Ivchenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker for the Batkivshchyna party, told Defense News a political consensus on the need to allow Ukraine’s defense industry to launch export sales has emerged across party lines.

“Meeting the needs of the defense forces as a top priority is a fundamental condition for all sides. Only after that can the sale of surplus be considered to attract investment,” Ivchenko said.

The lawmaker said that, as Ukraine’s president has already approved the so-called Drone Deals framework, Ukraine is now officially coordinating export details at the state level.

“Therefore, 2026 can be considered a realistic timeframe for launching the first contracts. Of course, delays are possible, but it is important to understand that this would lead to idle production capacity, which is an unacceptable luxury during wartime,” according to the politician.

Ivchenko said drones of various types are expected to become the Ukrainian defense industry’s flagship export products.

“From reconnaissance to strike systems, particularly those already tested in real combat conditions. In addition, Ukraine could offer missile systems and software solutions, including battlefield management technologies,” the lawmaker said. “Naval drones, software integrations, and other technological solutions are also highly likely. We may also offer our unique experience in countering modern navigation and communication systems, as well as various aviation components.”

Facing threats similar to those of Ukraine, the Gulf region’s officials have shown interest in the Ukrainian defense sector’s output, creating a momentum for its industry’s expansion across the Middle East.

“Many countries could potentially become buyers of Ukrainian products, especially those currently facing elevated security risks. In this regard, Gulf countries can be considered likely customers due to their strong interest in proven solutions,” Ivchenko said.

The Baltic nation will instead direct the funds toward drones, counter-drone measures and air-defense systems, while squeezing more service life out of the country’s existing fleet of second-hand CV90 vehicles.

Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur announced the move, which pauses a €500 million ($590 million) acquisition, last week, saying it was based on lessons drawn from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Tallinn will “extend the service life of the existing CV90 vehicles by at least 10 years,” Pevkur was quoted in a statement issued by the government.

The move is in contrast with actions by the other two Baltic States, Latvia and Lithuania, which have made decisions to buy new CV90 and Ascod vehicles, respectively.

“We have decided that, at present, it is more rational to modernize the existing infantry fighting vehicles rather than replace them. Modernization will ensure the sustained preservation of capability and the efficient use of resources,” Andri Maimets, spokesman for the Estonian Centre for Defence Investments (ECDI), the country’s military procurement agency, told Defense News.

Under the modernization plan, the vehicles are to be fitted with new electronics, and their weapon and targeting systems will be upgraded, Maimets said.

Estonia secured 44 used CV90s from the Netherlands that were delivered in 2019, and sourced additional 37 hulls of vehicles made by BAE Systems Hägglunds for Norway, subsequently rebuilding them into support vehicles.

Raimond Kaljulaid, an Estonian lawmaker who represents the opposition Social Democratic Party on the parliament’s National Defence Committee, told Defense News the decision should be viewed in the context of Estonia’s rising military expenditure.

“Estonia spends over 5% of its GDP on defense, and this is real spending on our military which is above NATO’s 3.5 percent target to meet the capability targets,” Kaljulaid said. “This means that, if we want to invest more in counter-drone technologies or combat drones, the money must come from the existing budget,” he added. “If our threat assessment and priorities change, we need to adapt our spending accordingly.”

The lawmaker said the National Defence Committee will “keep a close eye on the adapted approach to make sure that everything is done the right away to ensure national security.”

As Tallinn advances plans to select a foreign supplier for the planned domestic ramp-up of 155 mm artillery ammunition production, Kaljulaid also said that projects to attract international defense industry players to Estonia must be accelerated.

“The past five-six years have brought remarkable success to the development of Estonia’s defense industry, with unmanned technologies as one of the prime examples. At the same time, we must make efforts to ensure that Estonia continues to be competitive with regards to other countries in the region,” he said.

The purchase comes in response to incursions by Russian drones that Moscow has perpetrated against Poland alongside Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Signed on Jan. 30 in the presence of Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk and Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, who is deputy prime minister and defense minister, the deal paves the way for the development of the San anti-drone system whose value is estimated at around PLN 15 billion ($4.2 billion). Deliveries of the first components of the system are scheduled to begin in 2026.

“We are talking about 18 anti-drone batteries, 52 firing platoons, 18 command platoons, 703 vehicles, of which around 400 are based on the Jelcz [military truck platform] and 300 are based on the Legwan [light reconnaissance vehicle]. All of this means that we will be able to react in an extremely effective way against the threats that originate from the east,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said during the official signing ceremony.

In his remarks, the deputy prime minister referred to last September’s violations of Polish airspace by Russian unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The drone threats had triggered action by the Polish and allied air forces which included scrambling F-35 fighter jets to shoot the the drones down.

“The night of September 9-10, 2025, when our airspace was violated, when Russian unmanned aerial vehicles first appeared over NATO territory, was a turning point,” Kosiniak-Kamysz said. “It was a moment when we all wondered what else could be done. Research on this equipment took many months: integration, combining all the elements into one well-functioning system.”

He described the San suite, named after a river in eastern Poland, as a “vast and multi-threaded system, created by both [PGZ] … and its partners: APS from Gdynia and Kongsberg from Norway.”

The value of Kongsberg’s share of the deal is around NOK 16 billion ($1.66 billion). In a statement, the Norwegian company said the batteries that are to be supplied to Poland’s military will comprise a wide range of effectors, including 35mm, 30mm and 12.7mm guns, as well as missiles, interceptor drones and other solutions. The system is based on Kongsberg’s Protector family of weapons, including the Medium Caliber Turret (MCT30) and the Remote Weapon Station, the producer said in a statement.

The acquisition “confirms Poland’s position as a regional hub for counter-drone innovation and strengthens Kongsberg’s positions as one of Europe’s leading providers of anti-drone solutions,” said Eirik Lie, the president of Kongsberg Defence & Aerospace.

Tusk said Kongsberg’s participation in the consortium indicates the Polish government “not only appreciates the competencies of our Norwegian partners, but also considers it an element of the new security architecture that Poland has initiated.”

The prime minister said that, in the aftermath of Russia’s attack against Ukraine, Poland seeks to strengthen its military cooperation with the Baltic States and Scandinavian countries. He also pointed to Poland’s selection of the A26 Blekinge submarine, a design offered by Sweden’s Saab, in November 2025 as “a practical expression of this new security architecture.”

PGZ said in a statement the majority of the components of the San system, with a share of around 60%, is to be supplied by companies that are part of the Polish group.

“Deliveries of the entire system are expected to be completed 24 months following the signing of the contract,” PGZ said.

The SAN program represents a key initiative to boost Poland’s air-defense capabilities. The Polish ministry has also ordered Common Anti-air Modular Missiles, or CAMM, as well as iLaunchers from European consortium MBDA. The weapons are part of the nation’s Narew short-range air defense system developed by PGZ. The ministry has also purchased Pilica+ very-short-range air defense batteries from the Polish defense industry.

The Narew and Pilica+ systems will complement the two Patriot Configuration 3+ batteries Poland purchased in 2018 under the Wisła mid-range air defense program, and the second phase of the program announced in May 2022 under which the country seeks a further six batteries of the system made by Raytheon.

Kosiniak-Kamysz said that, in total, Warsaw intends to spend around PLN 250 billion on bolstering its air defense capabilities which could make the effort the largest acquisition program for the Polish military in history.

“We are building another layer of the air defense system. We have the Wisła, we have the Narew, we have the Pilica, and we are now adding the San,” he said.

For 2026, the Polish government has earmarked a defense budget of some PLN 200.1 billion, up from PLN 186.6 billion a year earlier. This means the country’s military expenditure could capture more than 4.8% of Poland’s gross domestic product (GDP).

A large portion of the money for new military acquisitions, including the San program, is to be sourced from roughly €44 billion ($51 billion) in low-cost loans that Poland was awarded under the European Union’s Security Action For Europe (SAFE) scheme.