Марія Бровінська Weapon 12 October 2026, 09:00

"When a new threat appears: a change in electronic warfare or tactics for hunting operators, we don't wait for the next "version" of the product once a year." Buntar Aerospace co-founder on multi-million dollar investments, scaling, and plans for the future

Ukrainian Buntar Aerospace raised $16 million in investment last week. The company develops Buntar-3 reconnaissance drones and Buntar Copilot software, which helps automate some of the crew’s work. Now the main task is to scale production to meet growing demand from the front.

The company says that its solutions have already proven their effectiveness in combat conditions. In particular, Buntar-3 helped strike a Shahed warehouse at the Donetsk airfield. The funds raised will be used primarily to expand production capacities, develop software and an engineering team. Other areas include developing solutions for anti-drone defense, precision strikes, and developing the production of medium-range drones.

dev.ua spoke with Buntar Aerospace co-founder Bohdan Sas about why the company is attracting investment right now, what is holding back its growth, and what role algorithms already play in combat missions. Also, how quickly developers are adapting technologies to new threats on the frontline, whether they plan to enter international markets, and what results they want to achieve in the next two to three years.

— Bohdan, why did you attract investment now and what problem does this round solve?

We have proven that our system works on the front line: from reconnaissance to strike adjustment, including the case when Buntar-3 helped strike a Shahed warehouse at the Donetsk airfield.

The problem that this $16 million solves is simple: scale success and meet growing demand.

— What will the largest portion of the funds be spent on?

The highest priority is production capacity and serial scaling of Buntar-3 and improvements to Buntar Copilot, because this is where the bottleneck between frontline demand and our ability to supply is now.

In parallel, we are investing in engineering development: expanding drone missions towards anti-drone defense and supporting high-precision strikes. We will also further develop the direction of manufacturing middlestrike drones.

Another important step is investing in hiring people. We need experienced engineers and managers to keep up the pace.

Entering international markets is the third direction, strategically important, but it consistently follows the first two: first, scale and trust at home, then expansion to create a safe environment for production facilities.

— What is the scale of production and what is the biggest constraint on growth?

We are not yet publicly disclosing specific production figures for the year ahead — for security reasons and because they depend on contracts that are still being negotiated.

Globally, these funds go primarily into production, not just development — we can develop the next version faster than we can mass-produce it.

— What part of the combat mission does Buntar delegate to algorithms?

Our philosophy: the drone should fly, see, and make routine decisions on its own, leaving the operator where his experience is truly critical, namely in the final decision.

What remains for a person and will remain for a long time: making a decision to use force and reacting to a non-standard, unpredictable situation on the battlefield.

— Speed of adaptation to new combat experience — how successful are you?

We receive feedback from the front line directly, often within days, not months, and it’s built into the product itself: Buntar Copilot and Buntar-3 have already gone through three iterations in less than two years.

When a new threat emerges: a change in electronic warfare or tactics for hunting operators, we don’t wait for the next "version" of the product once a year; updates come much more frequently, and it is the speed of this cycle that we are scaling with this round.

— Will Buntar actively pursue the global market?

Priority markets are partners and allies of Ukraine, where there is a real demand for counter-drone and autonomous reconnaissance solutions, as well as civilian applications of the same technologies. We will name specific countries as the agreements are signed, not in advance.

— Do you have a vision of what the company will be like in two or three years?

I want Buntar Aerospace in two or three years to become a company that sets the standard for autonomy in reconnaissance, anti-drone defense, and precision strikes, not only for Ukraine but also on the international market. The success of this $16 million is a situation when front-line demand no longer outpaces our production, when Buntar Copilot has significantly increased the efficiency of iron use, and when we have a stable presence abroad with dual-purpose solutions.

Simply put: from a product that has proven its effectiveness in combat, we want to become a company that has proven its ability to scale.