Vilnius-based defence technology startup PDKINEMATICS has secured €2 million in seed funding round co-led by Coinvest Capital and Iron Wolf Capital, with participation from defence-focused angel investors and technology founders. The company develops precision guidance systems for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), including its flagship Gannet system, which is designed to improve the accuracy of drone-deployed munitions while allowing operators to engage targets from higher altitudes. The new funding will support increased manufacturing capacity, wider deployment of its systems in Ukraine and European markets, and continued product development. PDKINEMATICS is also advancing additional technologies, including a proximity fuse for UAV-launched munitions and counter-electronic warfare components, as it expands partnerships with drone manufacturers and defence integrators across Europe.
PDKINEMATICS was purpose-built to develop, deliver and scale precision guidance capability at the speed and cost that modern drone warfare demands, bridging battlefield-validated technology into NATO defence supply chains. The portfolio includes both end products and enabling technologies for precision guidance and strike systems, serving UAV manufacturers, defence integrators, and European armed forces.
Rapolas Markevičius, CEO and Co-Founder of PDKINEMATICS, said: “We started working on precision guidance for UAVs because the battlefield was demanding something that did not exist: precision at altitude, at the cost and form factor of a mass-produced drone munition. The most capable guidance science in history was developed for large aircraft and expensive programmes that only superpowers could afford. We are rebuilding it for the platforms that actually dominate today’s battlefield, applying modern R&D on top of those proven guidance principles and packing them into manufacturable, deployable systems for modern UAV warfare. With this comes scale, deployment speed and cost-to-effect advantages for operators at significantly lower size and cost thresholds.”
The company built significant operational momentum ahead of the seed round. It has already signed a strategic partnership with Bavovna.ai, one of Ukraine’s largest bomber-class UAV manufacturers. PDKINEMATICS’ systems are now integrated into Bavovna’s platforms and deployed in battlefield conditions. This has created a framework for the system’s deployment across Ukraine and NATO, with pilot milestones already completed on both sides. Beyond Ukraine, the company has partnered with SiraLab, an Italian UAV manufacturer, as part of its European go-to-market. PDKINEMATICS’ systems were also selected for Iron Wolf 2026, Lithuania’s largest international military exercises, validating its performance in a NATO-standard operational context.
Viktorija Trimbel, Managing Director of Coinvest Capital, co-founder and board member of Defence Angels European Network, said: “Precision guidance is becoming the foundational capability of modern drone warfare, and PDKINEMATICS is building it at the cost and speed the market demands. This company was first brought to our attention by experienced defence angels in our network. Together with the Lithuanian Riflemen’s Union we invited the team to The Flaming Shield to stress-test the solution and gather direct feedback from military end-users. That is when we started putting the deal together. This is exactly the kind of company the Baltic defence ecosystem needs to be producing: deep technology, battle-validated, and with a clear path to NATO-scale deployment. We are proud to see a fellow defence-focused fund joining the round, and proud to back a team providing such an important contribution to Europe’s defence directly from Vilnius.”
Gannet, the company’s flagship product, is a low-SWaP-C (size, weight, power, cost) precision-guidance system for UAVs that enables operators to fly up to 700 metres, up to six times higher than with unguided munitions, without sacrificing accuracy. In Ukraine alone, approximately 300,000 drone-deployed munitions are dropped monthly, almost all unguided. On top of this, the Gannet system is jam-resistant, platform-agnostic, capable of operating in challenging weather, and designed to integrate across diverse UAV types in under four weeks from handshake to first flight.
Žygimantas Susnys, Founding Partner of Iron Wolf Capital, said: “Precision-guided systems are the future of modern warfare. The PDKINEMATICS team combines entrepreneurial drive with deep engineering talent and moves at the speed this moment demands. They have earned credibility in Ukraine, and we believe it positions them to become a defining defence technology company for NATO allies.”
Alongside Gannet, PDKINEMATICS is developing a portfolio of proprietary engineered components for integration by UAV manufacturers: a proximity fuse for armoured-target engagement to be integrated into loitering munitions and interceptors, and a suite of counter-EW components. Looking ahead, the company aims to become a main precision guidance technology provider for NATO-aligned UAV manufacturers, bridging battlefield-validated technology from Ukraine into European defence supply chains. A NATO member state naval deployment is already in the pipeline, marking the first naval application of the system and a landmark for Baltic defence technology.
This seed round brings the funding to a total of €3 million. The team will use it to grow European deployments and advance its R&D pipeline, taking the proximity fuse and anti-EW solutions to MVP by the end of 2026.
Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/pdkinematics-raises-e2m-seed/
