Ukrainian anti-drone solutions manufacturer December1 and Lithuanian defence company Pekkla have agreed to set up a joint venture in Lithuania to produce the Ukrainian electronic warfare system “Damba”. This was reported by the Lithuanian Ministry of National Defence and by Defender media, citing December1.
The companies signed the relevant memorandum on 14 October in Kyiv. The partners will implement the project under the Build with Ukraine programme with the support of the Lithuanian government.
Lithuanian firm Pekkla will serve as the Ukrainian company’s local partner. It will be responsible for production infrastructure, regulatory support and recruiting local engineers. Technical expertise and system development capabilities will remain with December1. Pekkla specialises in the design and development of unmanned aerial vehicles.
December1 notes that “Damba” is one of the most widely used electronic warfare systems in Ukraine. According to the company, thousands of such комплекси are already deployed at the front and at critical infrastructure facilities across the country. The system is designed to counter various types of drones, including FPV drones, reconnaissance UAVs and “Shaheds”, and its stated effective range reaches 50 km.
Read alsoThe Endless Race: How Ukrainian Electronic Warfare Is Developing During the War
December1’s Director of International Development, Illia Kabachynskyi, said this is the company’s first experience of creating a joint venture. According to him, launching production in Lithuania will make it possible to scale the business and supply Ukraine’s Defence Forces with more of the necessary equipment.
Pekkla CEO Martynas Andrejevas, for his part, said the cooperation will open up new opportunities for Lithuania’s development, provide practical experience and create jobs.
As a reminder, it recently became known that Lithuanian drone manufacturer Unmanned Defense Systems is starting operations in Ukraine through the Lithuanian-Ukrainian joint venture UDS Ukraine.