The military optics market is adapting to the new realities of the front: the requirements for cameras are now dictated by the short “life” of the drone. As noted by Brave1 representative Denis Logvinenko, expensive systems are losing relevance, because drones now work much less time. This has stimulated demand for more budget solutions. Most often, Chinese ones.
The military optics market is adapting to the new realities of the front: the requirements for cameras are now dictated by the short “life” of the drone. As noted by Brave1 representative Denis Logvinenko, expensive systems are losing relevance, because drones now work much less time. This has stimulated demand for more budget solutions. Most often, Chinese ones.
There are no exact statistics on the demand for cameras, Logvinenko noted in a comment to DOU. However, given that the demand for FPV drones can be up to approximately 200,000 units per month, the same demand may be in cameras. But there are few manufacturers in Ukraine that can quickly increase such volumes.
Ukrainian manufacturers are developing both daytime and thermal imaging cameras. It should be noted that the camera is the most expensive element of the drone.
Daytime cameras are needed for reconnaissance. They are mostly not produced as a separate product in Ukraine, in particular due to the complexity of matrix production.
Thermal imaging cameras allow you to see targets using thermal contrast. They are used both during the day and at night.
Moreover, even European manufacturers cannot provide such volumes. According to Andriy Tagansky from Odd Systems, 100,000 or more thermal imaging cameras are used in Ukraine every month, while all EU manufacturers combined produce no more than 40,000.
In addition to the issue of being able to meet demand, there is the issue of cost. Chinese cameras are 4–5 times cheaper than solutions based on European or American components and are not inferior to them in quality, says Tagansky.
The "cheapness" of Chinese manufacturers was formed thanks to the long-term development of the electronics industry, where a full-fledged ecosystem of components and solutions has been formed. This allows for scaling production and reducing the cost of final products.
At the same time, the use of Chinese cameras has security risks and operational and quality challenges.
From the very beginning, Oko Camera deliberately abandoned Chinese components in its serial products.
"This complicates logistics and increases the cost, but at the end we have full quality control, an uninterrupted chain and clear delivery times. The result is a more reliable product," said the company's CEO, Denis Nikolayenko.
A phased strategy for reducing dependence on Chinese components is also proposed by Andriy Tagansky, director of camera business at Odd Systems: "In the short term, localize engineering solutions, software and hardware innovations, and expertise that create added value and technological advantage. In the long term, build supply chains for critical components: production in Ukraine or in partnership with allied countries; build a universal, sensor-agnostic product architecture so as not to depend on a single vendor or country."
Let us remind you that Odd Systems, together with The Fourth Law and Odd Systems, are launching the first enterprise in Ukraine for the mass production of sensors for cameras and thermal imaging systems.
