The New Defense Post #6

Welcome back to the sixth edition of The New Defense Post!

In this edition, we’ll cover:

Hyllus Systems is a European defense-tech startup specializing in strike drones — kamikaze, bomber, and interceptor systems — designed and iterated in close collaboration with frontline users in Ukraine. Operating between the Netherlands and Ukraine, the company is led by Albin Sela.

We sat down with Albin to discuss what it truly means to build an attack drone company today. From rapid product development using battlefield feedback to Europe’s defense-tech gap, this conversation covers it all.

Read the full article on The New Defense Post!

🗣 Pavlo Shevchuk, International CEO, Skyeton: “By joining forces with Harmattan AI, we are reinforcing Europe’s defense capabilities and accelerating the Raybird’s adoption in key NATO markets such as France.” (ASD News)

📰 Our Take: We are seeing more of these partnerships happening between Western producers and Ukrainian’s. Think about Shield AI and Iron Belly.

Ukrainian expertise in developing combat-viable systems is hard to beat when it comes to Group 1 to 3 attack and reconnaissance drones. We hope to see more of these collaborations happening in the future, especially when it comes to commercialising Ukrainian tech in the Western markets.

European companies should focus on long shots like autonomy and advanced systems, and then partner with Ukrainian companies for simpler systems closer to the battlefield to deliver their advanced capabilities.

🗣 Torsten Reil, Co-founder & Co-CEO, Helsing: “Uncrewed fighter jets will become a key capability for establishing air dominance and keeping us safe. Europe cannot afford to fall behind in this category or become dependent on third parties. With CA-1 Europa, we will make sure this does not happen.” (Helsing)

📰 Our Take: Europe is in dire need of a home-built unmanned aerial combat vehicle (UACV); currently, other projects lack the credibility of US UACVs, such as Anduril’s Fury. This seems to be a viable alternative to American systems. Helsing's successful test integration of their CENTAUR AI pilot in one of Saab's airplanes is a significant step in the right direction.

Many US companies are focusing on collaborative UACV platforms, while Helsing is focusing on full autonomy. The final objective is total autonomy, that's clear. AI pilots already beat real pilots in simulators.

🗣 Andrius Kubilius, EU Commissioner for Defence & Space: “The Eastern Flank Watch, with the ‘Drone Wall’ as its core, will serve all of Europe,” moving the plan “from discussions to concrete actions.” (Defense News)

📰 Our Take: This is a vital initiative and a great opportunity for European and Ukrainian startups developing systems in this space. Last time we had a serious drone incursion, we were totally unprepared, shooting down just 1/3 of the drones using high-hand systems for an astronomical amount of money and calling it a success.

Cheap counter-UAS systems are available and built by European startups such as Nordic Air Defense and Tytan Technologies, but adoption from European MoDs is far from being at scale.

Despite momentum, defense tech was around 1.8% of Europe’s VC investments in 2024 (McKinsey & Co)

This week, we had the opportunity to interview an experienced Azov fighter still in active service. For security reasons, we have to keep his name confidential.

The Azov Battalion has been actively fighting Russia since 2014, accumulating an exceptional amount of combat experience on the frontline. Now integrated into Ukraine’s National Guard, Azov continues to be one of the country’s most active combat units.

Which drones and systems are most effective for your unit?

The products we use the most—and that we need a constant supply of—are energy generators, battery packs used as power supplies (such as Ecoflow), and Starlink for internet connection. These form the foundation of most of our operations.

When it comes to drones, the most commonly used models are still those from DJI, for both reconnaissance and bombing purposes. Matrix drones are used as relays to enable forward control of FPV drones.

For FPV, the “sweet spot” is the 10-inch drone, both radio-controlled for long-range attacks and fiber-optic-linked over distances of 15 to 25 km when greater resistance to electronic warfare is required.

Heavy multi-rotor drones are also in use, both for attack operations—as bombers—and for frontline logistics to resupply forward positions.

We’ve recently started using UGVs, which are generally wheel-based and launched from loading points several kilometers behind the front line. These are primarily used for logistics operations.

Zooming out, how have frontline tactics changed over the last year?

The biggest change is that we’ve nearly stopped using large trenches and dugouts—they’re easy to spot and easy to target. Instead, infantry tactics now favor very small, concealed observation and firing points that are difficult to detect.

There’s also a much shorter survivability window for heavy machinery near the front. These assets still exist, but they’re used far less. What you see advancing now are small, highly mobile groups of 3 to 5 people—on motorcycles, quad bikes, or on foot—moving either very fast or very slowly to avoid detection, and launching attacks when close to our positions.

According to recent intelligence, the enemy is also experimenting with horses and other seemingly improbable methods to approach the front line.

It’s all about being nimble, dispersed, and hard to see—and around 20% of the time, these attacks still succeed.

Looking ahead, which capabilities matter most?

First, countermeasures for fiber-optic drones. Currently, only shotguns are effective. If there were a system capable of detecting and automatically taking them down, it would be a major asset for us.

Second, counter-drone infrastructure. It’s neither economical nor practical to continually fire expensive munitions at inexpensive drones day and night. We need scalable, low-cost defenses. Part of that involves organizational changes: small, mobile teams of operators who can chase and intercept drones in the air. Think layered defense that’s affordable to maintain.

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