The 18th annual Kyiv Security Forum, themed “Darkness or Dawn: Is Light Ahead?”, showcased innovations from defense companies – leaders in modern technology.

Close cooperation between the state and Ukraine’s military-industrial complex is rapidly strengthening military capabilities and saving soldiers' lives and health.

"We manufacture FPVs, delivery vehicles, repeaters, kamikaze and bomber drones. "In fact, we're creating our own FPV ecosystem," said Dmytro, an engineer at Sky Reaper.

At their booth, the company showcased a kamikaze drone with a 10-inch frame, as well as repeaters for controlling the drone from greater distances.

"All of this is to save soldiers' lives and get them out... We have a kamikaze drone with an interesting control system enabled by LTE connectivity on a 15-inch frame. This allows the operators to sit, so to speak, in Kyiv and practice targeting in Zaporizhzhia,” Dmytro said.

He noted that the company's main goal is to manufacture drones entirely in Ukraine and transition away from using Chinese components.

Polina, a representative from Buntar Aerospace, spoke about the Buntar-3 reconnaissance drone on display at their booth. This drone operates in the most challenging areas on the front lines.

“It’s a copter-airplane hybrid; it can take off and land vertically. That means it doesn’t need additional launch pads — you just set it down and it takes off.  You may have seen how the defense forces recently struck Donetsk Airport — it was actually this drone that guided the strike. It also has a really cool, high-quality camera,” noted the company representative.

Dmytro, a representative from TAF Industries, explained that the company’s booth features reconnaissance drones, two types of Shahed fighter drones, and fiber-optic drones.
"We have our own developments, such as our own initiation board, a remote control board, and an automatic guidance module, among many other innovations," he added.

Since July 2023, TAF Industries has operated in the defense technology market and has been gradually transitioning to Ukrainian components.

Skiftech develops military training technologies, including tactical simulators, which are currently being used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces, the National Guard, the  State Border Guard Service and other units of the Ukrainian Defence Forces.

"At the heart of our system is a personal kit for infantry soldiers... Our equipment can also neutralize drones," said Maxim, a Skiftech representative.

He noted that, according to reviews from military personnel trained with the company's equipment, acquiring these skills significantly increased their chances of saving lives during the first few months of combat operations. "By about 30%," he added.

Open Ukraine is an international foundation established by Arseniy Yatsenyuk in July 2007 to strengthen Ukraine's authority in the world. The foundation organizes the Kyiv Security Forum every year. This leading international discussion platform focuses on issues of war and peace. The foundation also organizes the Youth Kyiv Security Forum to develop a new generation of Ukrainian leaders.

The 18th annual Kyiv Security Forum, which was themed “Darkness or Dawn: Is Light Ahead?”, took place in Kyiv on April 23–24.