Recently, the international exhibition Defense Tech Innovations Forum 2025 took place in Kyiv, organized by Brave1 and the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. The event brought together over 3,000 participants from 40 countries. It is the largest event in Ukraine’s defense technology industry, gathering manufacturers, investors, scientists, and representatives of top companies and governments. During the exhibition, attendees had the opportunity to see for the first time the Ukrainian development – the “Trembita” cruise missile.
Participants of the forum had the opportunity to learn about game-changers of the war developed by Ukrainian engineers, as well as to discuss the future of military technologies. On the first day of the forum, during his speech, Vice Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science, and Technology, and Minister of Digital Transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov, outlined the key factors that have become game-changers in the war:
- Market openings. Ukraine has opened the drone market by adopting revolutionary regulations to foster innovation. The experience with drones was also extended to ground platforms, electronic warfare tools, and ammunition. Last year, Brave1 began issuing grants to Ukrainian defense startups to create missiles capable of destroying targets that are unreachable for drones.
- Gamification. Ukraine has launched a bonus system for distributing drones. Security and defense units earn points for hitting enemy targets, which they can later exchange for additional drones. This initiative has proven to be unexpectedly effective. Last month, the highest number of Russian forces were struck throughout the entire period.
During the forum, discussions focused on the development of four key domains of modern warfare – Air, Land, Sea, and Space. Specifically, participants addressed the challenges faced by modern air defense systems and highlighted the need for integrating air defense systems with digitalization. At the exhibition, the Ukrainian drone “Bulava” was showcased. It is capable of striking targets at distances ranging from 35 to 50 km.
The Ukrainian cruise missile “Trembita” was also showcased for the first time at the exhibition. It is launched from ground-based launchers and is equipped with a pulsejet engine. The missile has the following specifications:
- Maximum speed: Over 400 km/h
- Ceiling: 2000 m; minimum altitude: 30 m
- Warhead mass: 20 kg (thermobaric or fragmentation-heavier)
- Equipped weight: 100 kg
- Range of destruction: Approximately 140 km.
During the exhibition, participants shared their experiences in developing autonomous and robotic systems, highlighting the extremely fast testing cycle of technologies in real combat conditions. As part of the “Anatomy of Weaponry” project, a solution for managing a fleet of drones of various types was presented. Brigadier General of the Security Service of Ukraine, Ivan Lukashevych, talked about the use of maritime drones, which helped destroy 30% of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Additionally, speakers from In Orbit Aerospace, MIT, and RAND Europe discussed the importance of space technologies for reconnaissance, communications, and logistics.
The second day of the exhibition featured a large-scale DEFENSE TECHNOLOGY EXPO, showcasing hundreds of developments from the best Ukrainian and international developers. Among the participants were Tekever, Shield.ai, Quantum Systems, ARX Robotics, MyDefence, and Vermeer. Various types of drones, electronic warfare (EW) and electronic countermeasure (ECM) systems, missiles, ground robotic complexes, relays, training systems, air defense systems, and AI-based programs were demonstrated.
Source: thedigital
