Ukrainian defense tech company Huless raises over $1 million for tethered drone systems
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Huless, a Ukrainian company developing tethered drone systems, secured over $1 million in private financing, loans, and a grant from Ukrainian Defense Tech cluster Brave1, the company said in a press release on Jan. 30.
Huless makes the Highline-T, a drone that can operate for up to four hours at heights up to 100 meters, even without GPS signals, the company says. Unlike kamikaze or bomber drones that blow up Russian positions or vehicles, the Highline-T’s main function is extending the range of communications.
The tethered drone stays connected to the ground via a cable that provides constant power and data connection independent of interference from electronic warfare.
Huless plans to use the funding to expand its market presence and develop its tethered drone technology for military communications, the company said. The drones will serve as mobile aerial antennas, improving the range and safety of military operations.
The private backers include angel investors the Huless team met at Defense Tech Valley, the largest investment summit on Ukrainian defense innovations organized by Brave1.
The “investments will be directed toward creating an ecosystem of military communications, where the key component will be Highline-T tethered drones developed by Huless,” Brave1 wrote on LinkedIn.
“We are already creating technologies that no other country has. Therefore, investment in Ukrainian defense tech is a contribution to the defense capability of not only Ukraine but also NATO,” said Mykhailo Fedorov, whose Digital Transformation Ministry heads Brave1, in a post announcing the investment.
