Ukrainian defense-tech company Swarmer has signed an agreement to acquire part of the intellectual property of drone manufacturer Vataga Drone. The Swarmer team plans to add Vataga CEO Maksym Melnyk and 14 hardware development specialists. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Ukrainian defense-tech company Swarmer has signed an agreement to acquire part of the intellectual property of drone manufacturer Vataga Drone. The Swarmer team plans to add Vataga CEO Maksym Melnyk and 14 hardware development specialists. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Swarmer announced the agreement in a press release. The deal involves payment in cash and shares in the company’s capital. Upon completion, Swarmer will receive the rights to Vataga’s intellectual property portfolio in the hardware and software areas.
It includes glider designs for FPV drones, ground control equipment, development tools, and production documentation.
At the same time, Vataga Drone will continue to operate as an independent manufacturing company.
Swarmer plans to combine Vataga’s hardware solutions with its software to create comprehensive drone systems.
Among the priorities of both companies is the scaling up of the use of FPV drones and interceptor drones capable of operating as part of a swarm in combat conditions.
Swarmer is developing Styx AI software that allows a single operator to control a group of drones. According to Forbes Ukraine, the system allows one pilot to control 15 drones simultaneously.
The addition of the Vataga team should strengthen Swarmer’s hardware division. Vataga CEO Maksym Melnyk and 14 hardware development specialists will join the company.
In September, Swarmer announced an agreement to acquire Ukrainian manufacturer of ground robotic systems and drones Ratel Robotics. According to Forbes Ukraine, the amount of the deal could reach $224 million, but a significant part of the potential value depends on the terms of the settlement and implementation of the agreements.
Swarmer was founded in 2023 by Serhiy Kuprienko and Alex Fink. Since September 2025, Kuprienko has held the position of global CEO, and Fink heads the company’s American office.
In March 2026, Swarmer became the first Ukrainian defense-tech company to hold an IPO on the American Nasdaq stock exchange, raising $15 million. The shares are traded under the ticker SWMR.
The company is headquartered in Austin, Texas. Engineering teams operate in Kyiv and Warsaw, and the corporate structure includes subsidiaries in Ukraine, Poland, and Estonia.
According to Forbes Ukraine, in the first quarter of 2026, Swarmer’s revenue was $20,300, and its net loss was $4.5 million. In the second quarter, revenue increased to $216,000, while its net loss increased to $7.3 million.
Vataga Drone is a Ukrainian defense-tech company founded in 2023. It specializes in the development and mass production of FPV drones, initiation boards, and ground control stations for the Defense Forces of Ukraine.
According to the company, the manufacturer has delivered over 30,000 drones and has its own R&D center, which employs over 50 specialists. Vataga also claims to test 100% of its manufactured products.
Among its developments are the 18-inch drone-bomber "Krab" and the drone-interceptor "Kvach".
