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Test pilot Matthew Camp flies a Sky Mantis drone to combat Russia's electronic warfare capabilities
Photo: Toby Melville / REUTERS
At a warehouse in southern England, Evolve Dynamics engineers are working on technology that could help Ukraine's reconnaissance drones stay in the sky even if Russia tries to jam them electronically. It is a small but important part of Ukrainian allies' international efforts to support the drone program.
Companies in dozens of countries have supplied drones and drone parts to Ukraine. Some, including Evolve Dynamics, are also focusing on technological advances to counter Russia's electronic warfare (EW) capabilities. The development of alternative radio communication algorithms is intended to make it more difficult for the Russian armed forces to jam the signals of its surveillance drones and thus render them useless.
Both sides have increased the use of EW systems. They interfere with the frequencies on which the pilot's commands are sent to the drone, causing it to fall out of the sky or miss its target. "It's constant ping-pong," said Mike Dewhirst, CEO of Evolve Dynamics. He estimates his company has made 85 upgrades to Sky Mantis drones over the past two and a half years. At Evolve Dynamics, whose reconnaissance drones spy on enemy movements in Ukraine, military units receive parts and software updates directly from the company, allowing them to make changes themselves when possible.
Some military experts believe that instant communication between defense contractors and soldiers could become a more common feature of warfare given rapid technological innovation. This trend could impact everything from procurement to training. »The technology is developing very quickly. I would say the learning cycle on the battlefield is maybe six weeks,” said Nick Reynolds, research fellow in land warfare at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), a British defense think tank. “Our procurement systems are not optimized for this.”
Last month, a military unit in Ukraine asked Evolve Dynamics to make changes to its technology to make it safer for pilots. At the British site, decorated with Ukrainian flags and messages of thanks from soldiers, employees figured out how to disconnect a drone's radio box from its controls. After sending appropriate instructions, the military unit was able to make the change within 24 hours of the request.
Dewhirst, who travels to Ukraine every month, decided to finance the modification after hearing that the soldiers would otherwise have to pay for it themselves. Drone units in Ukraine often finance their equipment from private sources or through crowdfunding.
Britain, a staunch ally of Kiev since Russia's invasion began in February 2022, says it is the largest supplier of drones to Ukraine and is working with Latvia to lead a European coalition to increase production. Other allies such as Sweden, the Netherlands and Norway have also supplied Ukraine with drones.
Ukraine, in turn, has promoted its own private military startups to innovate and build its domestic industry as the war enters its third year. In total, there are now about 200 drone manufacturers in Ukraine, and the Ministry of Strategic Industries has said the country could produce up to two million drones this year.
10,000 British drones for Ukraine
Dewhirst founded Evolve Dynamics in 2014 while working with software engineers in Kyiv for a digital marketing start-up. The company now has around 100 Sky Mantis surveillance drones in use in Ukraine, making it one of five to ten major UK drone suppliers in Ukraine, according to the company.
Britain has pledged to spend 325 million pounds ($416 million) to send 10,000 drones to Ukraine this year, and Evolve Dynamics hopes to get more. The privately held company has already supplied the British Royal Navy and some police forces, as well as global oil and gas and wind turbine companies.
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