Ukrainian defense technology company Phantom Defense announced the closing of a deal to acquire the developer of sitcoms KARAKURT. The deal involves a full takeover of the business and team. The integration of new technologies into the Phantom Defense ecosystem will allow for increased protection of forward units and critical infrastructure from various types of unmanned threats.
Ukrainian defense technology company Phantom Defense announced the closing of a deal to acquire the developer of sitcoms KARAKURT. The deal involves a full takeover of the business and team. The integration of new technologies into the Phantom Defense ecosystem will allow for increased protection of forward units and critical infrastructure from various types of unmanned threats.
The KARAKURT system provides physical interception of UAVs without a kinetic impact. Using a special module, the device throws a strong net over the target, which blocks the rotors. Losing controllability, enemy reconnaissance or strike drones fall to the ground unharmed.
Key advantages of the technology:
the absence of an explosion allows enemy drones to be brought down, suitable for study or reuse by the Ukrainian Defense Forces;
The production and maintenance of anti-aircraft missiles are much cheaper than missile or artillery air defense systems, which makes it possible to equip contact lines with them en masse;
The risk of collateral damage from explosions and debris is minimized, making the system effective for protecting critical infrastructure.
The sitcom modules weigh from 201 grams, so they practically do not affect the maneuverability and flight time of the carrier drone.
For DJI Mavic, Matrice and Autel (M3, M4, A4) platforms: top-down grid shot has been implemented. This allows you to neutralize enemy UAVs that are “down” — in ambush, on rooftops or on the ground.
For FPV drones and special platforms (FPV, LS): forward firing with a prey retention system is used to attack moving targets at high speed.
Over the past six months, the military has deployed over 50,000 KARAKURT sets. Only one crew of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine has shot down over 500 enemy aircraft during this period.
To accumulate data, the company is implementing a free consumables replacement program for units that provide video confirmation of successful intercepts (more than 5,000 such videos have been recorded so far). This reduces the financial burden on military units and helps engineers improve the product.
"The integration of KARAKURT into our ecosystem makes it possible to close the need of units for highly effective and at the same time affordable means of close-in interception. This combination opens up new opportunities for scaling and developing a product that has already proven its high performance on the front based on real combat experience," comments a representative of Phantom Defense.
Phantom Defense is a Ukrainian defense technology company that creates an integrated counter-drone ecosystem: electronic warfare systems, target detection tools, kinetic weapons, and a combat control platform.
The company employs over 620 people and has production facilities at 9 sites. The daily capacity is over 100 drones and 200 electronic warfare devices.
