The second annual Anti-Shahed Drone Hackathon occurred on June 24-25, gathering 50 teams to showcase their projects to representatives from the Security and Defense Forces of Ukraine. Following a rigorous evaluation process, three winners were selected for their exceptional projects, demonstrating effectiveness and efficiency. Each winning team will be granted $1 million to implement and expand their technological advancements, aiding in the battle against enemy uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs).
“In war, it is important to understand what is happening on the battlefield and to propose technological solutions. We see how the situation at the front is changing in the direction of technology. How important are UAVs, satellite communications, and situational awareness systems. The picture of the battle is changing. You need to make quick decisions and implement effective ideas. Now it is critically important to create alternative systems to counter the Iranian shaheed. We have cool cases with the Drone Army, when not only foreign drones, but also UAVs of domestic production were supplied to the front line. The same should be implemented with the development of systems for the protection of the Ukrainian sky ,” said Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Development of Education, Science and Technology, Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov .
The winners of the Drone Hackathon “Anti-Shahеd” will sign contracts worth 1 million dollars. The funds will go to the fastest possible implementation of the development, which will destroy enemy drones in the Ukrainian sky. New technologies will help to fight against the Iranian shaheed, so as not to waste the powerful resources of the air defense forces.
“In fact, Ukrainian infrastructure is attacked by Iranian drones every day. In May alone, at least 400 Shaheds were launched across Ukraine. In total, at least 1,200 attack drones have been launched across Ukraine since September of last year. Ukrainian specialists are capable of surprising the world and effectively counteracting the enemy’s onslaught. Our task is to support the developers as much as possible, to create conditions for the mass production of alternative systems for countering the Iranian Shaheds ,” stressed Oleksandr Kubrakov , Deputy Prime Minister for Reconstruction of Ukraine — Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure.
For the first time, the Russians used Iranian kamikaze drones to attack Ukrainian cities last fall. During the year, the occupiers launch dozens of them, saving reserves with missiles. Also, the enemy is resorting to combined attacks in order to exhaust the Ukrainian air defense as much as possible.
That is why it is critically important for us to create alternatives to countermeasures against the Iranian shaheed.
“It is important for the armed forces of Ukraine to use not only existing weapons, but also new types of equipment. Our enemy is awake and developing and improving its technologies. This also applies to the Shahed attack on Ukraine. Each of them is individual. Therefore, in order to constantly effectively counter new attacks by enemy UAVs, we need to implement new systems for detecting, identifying and destroying targets. I am sure that every idea proposed at the hackathon has every chance to work for victory ,” said Major General of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Volodymyr Koval .
The “Anti-Shahеd” Drone Hackathon brought together developers, engineers, cyber specialists and enthusiasts who are creating advanced systems and technologies to detect, track and destroy enemy drones. The projects were evaluated by specialists of various branches and types of troops, military structures and digital technologies.
“When a new modern idea is put into practice, it is a surprise for the enemy that is effective for our defense. According to available information, factories for the production of UAVs are being actively built on the territory of Russia, and therefore the percentage of new drone attacks on Ukraine will increase. With each attack, the enemy analyzes his mistakes and constantly works on changing tactics. Therefore, the first thing that needs to be implemented as quickly as possible is the system for detecting enemy drones and, of course, their prompt destruction ,” said Lieutenant General, Commander of the Air Command “Center” Anatoly Kryvonozhko .
“Each major war sets new trends in the development of military technologies. The First World War created a tank war. The second is aviation. This war showed that in the next decades there will be wars of unmanned aerial vehicles and their countermeasures. That’s why we have to create these modern technologies in order to overcome the enemy at the front today and protect our territories in the near future ,” said the head of the State Special Forces Yuriy Shchygol .
The Drone Hackathon “Anti-Shahеd” was implemented on the initiative of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital and the Ministry of Infrastructure within the framework of the Drone Army project and is aimed at finding innovative and effective solutions in the fight against enemy drones.
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