Ukraine has demonstrated UA DroneID, a system for secure identification and coordination of drones that helps the military distinguish their own from enemy aircraft and coordinate flights quickly. The solution was developed by Aerorozvidka and Cossack Labs with the support of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
Ukraine has demonstrated UA DroneID, a system for secure identification and coordination of drones that helps the military distinguish their own from enemy aircraft and coordinate flights quickly. The solution was developed by Aerorozvidka and Cossack Labs with the support of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Digital Affairs.
DOU reports on the presentation from the Brave1 Defense Tech Valley 2025 exhibition. The development was launched in 2023 after a sharp increase in the number of UAVs on the front. In the same year, the system was tested along the entire line of combat operations. Before the implementation of UA DroneID, coordination between units often took place in chats and the lack of secure identification led to the fact that up to 50% of downed devices were the result of «friendly fire» from their own electronic warfare, air defense and interceptors.
UA DroneID shows its aircraft in combat IT systems (in particular DELTA), transmits telemetry and mission data in real time, and also records the results of the application — for example, confirmation of damage or loss of the device. According to Aerorozvidka, after the launch of the technology, friendly fire incidents were reduced by approximately 90%.
Currently, the system works with various platforms: winged reconnaissance aircraft, bombers, interceptors, as well as ground and surface robotic vehicles. More than 15 manufacturers have already been integrated into the ecosystem, and several dozen more are joining. The roles in the project are distributed as follows: Cossack Labs is responsible for the protocol architecture, cryptography, and telemetry protection; the Ministry of Digital Affairs helps manufacturers with integration; the Ministry of Defense coordinates the process and forms requirements; the Aerorozvidka NGO, together with the Center for Innovation and Development of Defense Technologies, connects manufacturers and implements solutions in DELTA.
The next steps include scaling the protocol, expanding the list of compatible platforms, more precise positioning and strengthening security, including physical protection of modules in case of capture by the enemy. The developers separately note that the main challenge is the balance between international standards (often too general or over-regulated) and Ukrainian realities, where rapid implementation and flexibility are required. Therefore, UA DroneID operates on the principle of minimum requirements for manufacturers while maintaining a high level of security and authentication.
The massive use of UAVs creates airspace congestion and risks of misunderstandings between units. Standardized «friend/foe» identification and secure data exchange reduce the incidence of damage to own aircraft, accelerate decision-making and simplify the operation of mixed fleets of drones from different manufacturers. UA DroneID is designed to become a technical «glue» between aircraft and combat control systems, and over time, a standard for confirming the results of applications.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how the Ukrainian company Screenek, which produces bomber drones, which Russians call «Baba Yaga», conducted test flights to deliver medicines and organs for transplantation.
