Kyiv-based Miltech startup M-Fly has presented a solution that allows drones to accurately hit targets even in the zone of active electronic jamming. The system works on the basis of laser guidance and has already been tested on the front.
Kyiv-based Miltech startup M-Fly has presented a solution that allows drones to accurately hit targets even in the zone of active electronic jamming. The system works on the basis of laser guidance and has already been tested on the front.
According to Mind.ua, M-Fly was founded by Vladyslav Melnyk and Yaroslav Kovalev, entrepreneurs with a background in venture capital investing and technology team management. Both had experience working in Ukrainian and international startups, but with the start of the full-scale invasion, they decided to switch their focus to dual-purpose products.
The main development of M-Fly is an autonomous laser guidance system, which the drone uses instead of GPS or video communication with the operator. It includes a camera, a gyro stabilizer, target recognition software and a laser that «highlights» the object for the seeker module on the drone. This module works like a sensor on anti-tank missiles and allows the drone to independently hold the target even after the signal is lost.
M-Fly does not simply integrate individual components, but builds its own technological platform — from firmware to housings and algorithms. This approach allowed the team to achieve flexibility in changing configurations to meet the needs of different units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
In 2024, the startup entered the acceleration program from the Ukrainian venture fund SID Venture Partners and attracted $1.3 million in investment. The company has already tested the system in combat conditions and is starting small-scale production in Ukraine, with a gradual transition to mass production.
The M-Fly team currently has over 15 specialists — engineers, designers, navigation systems and machine vision specialists. The developments actively use AI elements for stabilization and guidance.
M-Fly emerged as a volunteer initiative in 2023 after a series of field trips to the front, where the team personally collected feedback from drone operators. The problem of loss of control due to electronic warfare became the key idea for creating an autonomous guidance system. Unlike many solutions on the market that rely on Chinese modules or manual control, M-Fly is developing a fully autonomous architecture and aims to create a technological alternative to Western counterparts, available to the Ukrainian army now.
Earlier, another Ukrainian MilTech company, Skiftech, received a contract from the US Army to develop equipment for simulating combat operations. Ukrainian manufacturer of tactical simulators Skiftech for training fighters based on laser technologies is among 10 companies that received a 10-year contract worth $921.1 million from the US Army.
