Swarmer Agrees to Buy Vataga's FPV Drone Designs, Seven Weeks After Its Ratel Deal
Swarmer, a swarm-autonomy software company, is buying the airframes and firing electronics its code runs on, days before shareholders vote on its first Ukrainian hardware deal.
Swarmer, a swarm-autonomy software company, is buying the airframes and firing electronics its code runs on, days before shareholders vote on its first Ukrainian hardware deal.
Swarmer signed an agreement Oct. 27 to acquire intellectual property from Ukrainian FPV and interceptor drone maker Vataga Drone, the Nasdaq-listed autonomy software company announced. The deal combines cash and equity. No price was disclosed.
The assets include first-person-view drone airframe designs, initiation electronics and ground-control equipment, plus development tooling and manufacturing documentation.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Swarmer buying from Vataga Drone?
Rights to Vataga's hardware and software engineering IP: FPV airframe designs, initiation electronics, ground-control equipment, development tooling and manufacturing documentation, per Swarmer's Oct. 27 release.
How much is Swarmer paying?
The release says the deal combines cash and equity but discloses no price.
Who joins Swarmer from Vataga?
CEO Maksym Melnyk and 14 hardware R&D engineers, after closing. Melnyk becomes vice president of hardware, reporting to President and U.S. CEO Alex Fink. Vataga stays an independent manufacturer.
What has Vataga built for Ukraine's forces?
Swarmer says Vataga's VTG Spark initiation boards are in more than 100,000 Ukrainian drones, its FPV-10 Peacemaker serves with more than 20 units, and its Kvach interceptor has shot down Shahed-type drones.
How does this relate to the Ratel Robotics deal?
Swarmer agreed Sept. 10 to buy Ukrainian ground-robot maker Ratel for up to $224 million in cash and stock. Shareholders vote Nov. 2 on issuing the stock for that deal.
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Marcus Schuler
Marcus Schuler edits BattlePolicy, a daily defense-technology brief connecting the companies and capabilities behind modern war to the contest among Europe, the US, Russia, and China.