Those Ukrainian defense tech companies we have been going on and on about are certainly having a moment.
On Tuesday, Croatian drone hotshot Orqa FPV announced that it’s inked a “memorandum of cooperation” with Ukrainian interceptor wunderkind General Cherry to bring the latter’s tech to Europe and NATO.
The two companies plan to start co-producing interceptors and other C-UAS systems, combining “General Cherry’s operational excellence with Orqa’s technological expertise…[and] proven production capabilities.”
Orqa CEO and Co-Founder Srdjan Kovacevic told Tectonic that the two companies will start producing co-developed products by the end of the quarter.
“Our shared goal is clear: to help build a new architecture of European and global security,” Yaroslav Gryshyn, co-founder of General Cherry, said in a statement. “Ukraine’s unique battlefield experience, combined with Orqa’s technological expertise, creates a powerful synergy.”
The cherry on top: We’ve covered Orqa a few times before, so we’ll mix it up and start with General Cherry.
The company was founded in 2022—just after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine—in Zaporizhzhia (yes, that same one) by Hryhoriy Shverk and Gryshyn.
- They actually didn’t start out doing interceptors. Like many Ukrainian companies, they kicked things off with high-volume FPV production.
- From there, they expanded into cUAS—specifically, interceptors and other systems that can take down things like a Shahed or a Geran.
- According to the Army of Drones Bonus program—the points system we’ve covered before—their drones and interceptors are ranked #1 in the country.
- General Cherry systems are reportedly used by 100+ Ukrainian brigades—their driving principle is producing at scale.
- They’re also making a bid for the US’ Drone Dominance program.
Now, their products range from portable EW systems, to interceptors, to fan-favorite FPVs and integrated drone systems.
- Their flagship product is an interceptor called Bullet that, well, looks like a drone bullet.
Cherry pie: Here’s how the partnership with Orqa will work.
- The two companies will set up a joint manufacturing facility in Croatia, with others planned in the US and the rest of the EU, Kovacevic said.
- Initially, Orqa will provide “the flight stack (electronics) for the EU-made birds, with an idea to transition the remainder of General Cherry’s production to Orqa stack over time,” he added.
- They will also set up a large-scale components production facility in Ukraine as part of the “Build in Ukraine” initiative.
- The two companies are hoping to scale to 10,000 units a month by the end of 2026.
- Kovacevic said that the co-produced drones—like all Orqa products—will contain no Chinese parts.
Put simply, the idea is this: General Cherry has developed drones (interceptors in particular) that are really effective at hitting Russian and Iranian drones. Orqa has built a supply chain and production line in Europe that can produce drones at scale and sell to European and US customers. Put together, that’s a pretty lethal combo.
Cash money: We asked Kovacevic if expanding production to Europe would make those famously inexpensive Ukrainian drones pricier. FWIW: The Bullet is around $2,100 per unit.
“Not necessarily,” he said, “While the labor costs are lower in Ukraine, this may be offset with design optimizations. Also, the design will evolve as the technology and application move forward.”
And as they look to sell these European co-produced drones westward, Kovacevic said they “will need to produce a NATO version of the existing solution.”
“As with most things unmanned these days, both the technology and the conops are quite dynamic,” he said. “We’re expecting to work very closely with NATO and allied end users to move the technology solution to where the end user will find it most effective.”