The investment company Front Ventures AB and Hede Capital Partners AB are leading a funding round of USD 400,000 in the drone manufacturer Black Forest Systems. The Ukrainian-Estonian company develops unmanned systems specifically tailored for infantry units.
– Our goal is to shift the complexity from the operator to the technology, says Oleksandr Davydenko, CEO of Black Forest Systems. We are developing systems that simplify decision-making and provide every infantry soldier with access to advanced unmanned capabilities.
According to a press release from Front Ventures, they are contributing USD 300,000 of the total investment amount. Black Forest Systems designs and produces most of its hardware and software in-house. The solutions are based on proprietary electronics and encrypted radio links designed to operate in environments with electronic warfare.
The company's flagship system is the SHADOX drone, described as a compact reconnaissance system for short distances. The system's propellers are built-in and protected, allowing it to operate inside buildings and in trenches. Front Ventures states that SHADOX, unlike traditional First-Person View (FPV) drones, is self-stabilising and requires less than 30 minutes of training to be deployed in the field.
– Drone technology has fundamentally changed how modern conflicts are fought, says Jonas Malmgren, CEO of Front Ventures. Black Forest Systems is not just another drone in the ecosystem, but a vertically integrated and custom-designed drone system for infantry units developed in close collaboration with the Ukrainian army.
Patrik Olson, CEO of Hede Capital Partners, also comments.
– We invest in technologies that build long-term strategic capability. Black Forest Systems is not only developing a drone platform – they are building a technological foundation in autonomy, electronics, and secure communication that can be scaled across multiple unmanned applications. We see this as a strategically important step to strengthen European capacity in defence technology, says Olson.
Previously, Double Tap Investments has also contributed capital to support the development of the core technology and the first SHADOX prototype.