Estonian-Ukrainian defence technology company DOD Solution has raised $2.1 million in a pre-seed round to scale its AURA AI onboard autonomy platform for unmanned systems. The round includes Angel One Fund, Better Angle, Defence Builder Fund, Network VC, Newfund, UAID Fund, WildField Ventures and 4C-Next Holding AG, alongside angel investors, with Canadian drone technology company Draganfly participating as a strategic investor. DOD Solution’s AURA AI combines an onboard computer with an autonomy software stack to provide navigation, perception, target recognition and tracking, and terminal guidance in environments where GPS or communications may be unavailable or disrupted. The technology has already been used in combat in Ukraine. The new funding will go toward putting the next-generation AURA SBC into scaled production, advancing AURA OS and its onboard AI capabilities, and expanding integrations with unmanned platform manufacturers in Ukraine and international markets, including Europe and North America.
DOD Solution has built AURA AI, an onboard autonomy platform combining the AURA SBC onboard computer with AURA OS, the company’s autonomy software stack. The platform enables autonomous navigation, perception, target recognition and tracking, and terminal guidance when GPS or communications are degraded or unavailable. It is designed for integration into different types of UAVs, including FPV drones, interceptor drones and fixed-wing UAVs. AURA AI has already been used in combat in Ukraine.
The funding will support bringing the next generation of AURA SBC into production, advancing AURA OS and onboard AI capabilities, and accelerating integrations with unmanned platform manufacturers in Ukraine and international markets.
The next generation of AURA SBC is being developed for production at scale, supported by a robust component supply chain and with the goal of meeting NDAA-compliance requirements. This will support DOD Solution’s expansion into European and North American markets.
“Autonomy needs to work across different unmanned systems and operational environments, rather than remain a capability tied to a single platform. Our focus now is to make AURA AI easier to integrate, faster to scale and capable of supporting increasingly demanding onboard applications. This round gives us the resources and the right partners to accelerate that transition,” says Roman Hapachylo, CEO of DOD Solution.
DOD Solution has already built a network of technology and industry partnerships around this strategy, including Lantronix, Axelera AI and Defsecintel Solutions. The partnerships span onboard computing, AI acceleration and integrated counter-drone capabilities, supporting the company’s efforts to scale the integration of its autonomy technology across different unmanned platforms.
Read the orginal article: https://arcticstartup.com/dod-solution-raises-2-1-m-pre-seed/
