Polish-Ukrainian Startup Raises €2M to Develop Radar Targeting Low-Flying Fiber-Optic Drones, Mass Production Planned for 2027

Molfar Defence, a Polish-Ukrainian company, is developing a new generation of tactical radar systems designed to detect small, low-flying drones that use long fiber-optic command wires. The technology targets drones that remain immune to electronic warfare because they do not rely on radio transmissions.

Maks Dzherikhov, co-founder of Molfar Defence, told Defense News that the company aims to complement existing air-defense systems.

“We see how quickly drone production is scaling up globally, and how fast autonomous radio protocols and capabilities are growing. Also, we see that large and expensive radar systems can be destroyed, and the recent situation in the Gulf region shows that high-value radar infrastructure can be targeted and damaged very easily. When this happens, you create blind spots,” Dzherikhov said.

Dzherikhov added that Molfar’s primary focus is the detection of low-flying UAVs, especially multi-rotor drones operating in difficult conditions. The company’s radars employ advanced signal processing and multidimensional structural target representation to differentiate drones from other airborne objects, and they function in complex environments and adverse weather.

“Fiber-optic drones, and in general drones using transmission, are developing very fast.

Such drones are difficult to detect because they fly very low, close to the ground. They’re very small, and for many radars detecting them is a huge challenge,” Dzherikhov said. 5 million investment to support the development.

Molfar Defence maintains its head office in Warsaw, Poland, and is opening a Ukrainian branch that will work with Ukraine’s military to adapt the systems to combat conditions. Mass production of the radar systems is scheduled to begin in late 2027, according to Dzherikhov.