Countering fiber-optic-controlled FPV drones: Ukrainian company among the winners of JATEC’s hackathon

Two companies from the United States and one from Ukraine have been named winners of the NATO Innovation Challenge 2025-II, dedicated to countering fiber-optic-controlled FPV drones. They will have the opportunity to further refine their solutions in cooperation with relevant NATO entities. 

The hackathon final took place in Tallinn, the capital of Estonia, and featured 11 teams representing Ukraine, Denmark, Italy, Canada, Lithuania, Poland, the United States, and France.

The jury consisted of expert representatives from the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the NATO–Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre (JATEC), and NATO.

First place was awarded to KMB Telematics Inc. (USA). Second place went to Sentradel (USA). Third place was secured by DONS, a developer team from Ukraine.

“Ukrainian participation in NATO innovation hackathons is critically important for accelerating MILTECH development, as it allows us to align our technical requirements with NATO standards. Through the JATEC platform, we not only integrate combat experience into scalable solutions but also ensure interoperability to achieve battlefield superiority,” emphasized Valerii Churkin, Deputy Minister of Defence of Ukraine.

The NATO Innovation Challenge hackathon was organized by the NATO–Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training, and Education Centre (JATEC) in cooperation with NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE). 

At the opening of the final round, Admiral Pierre Vandier, NATO Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (SACT), emphasized that “everything is moving fast now, and we must shift from static to dynamic thinking.”

This year’s competition set a record with 162 technical proposals submitted, including 42 from Ukrainian teams. This demonstrates the strength of Ukraine’s MILTECH and engineering community despite the realities of full-scale war.

“There is no better way to foster innovation than by applying real combat experience. The solutions developed through this Innovation Challenge are shaped by the military and designed to save lives,” emphasized Brigadier General Wojciech Ozga, JATEC Commander.