Atlas wants to launch drone production in Ukraine, but faces bureaucratic hurdles

Over the past year, several foreign companies have wanted to build factories in Ukraine. Two firms are involved in drone production. While Baykar is well on its way to building a site, Latvian company Atlas has run into problems.

Here's What We Know

Last year, Atals CEO Ivan Tolchinsky revealed plans to set up a research and development centre and a drone manufacturing facility. But the company ran into problems.

While the R&D centre has been set up, the launch of production has been delayed by some bureaucratic processes. As a result, the opening of the plant, scheduled for early 2023, has been postponed.

At the same time, Ivan Tolchinskyy noted that Atlas continues to supply drones to Ukraine. In particular, since December last year the company from Riga handed over to the Armed Forces about 200 drones Atlas Pro. Moreover, 88% of Atlas products are exported to Ukraine.

The Latvian company is looking to expand its portfolio. It has begun work on the Atlas mini and micro-Atlas drones, which weigh about 1 kg and 0.3 kg, respectively. Both systems are still under development.

That said, Ivan Tolchinsky stressed that Ukrainian soldiers have begun to report that the Atlas Pro is susceptible to jamming more frequently. This is due to the fact that Russia is trying to modernize its electronic warfare equipment. Atlas engineers are working to make the drone more resistant to electronic attacks. In particular, they want to create a new version of software that will allow Atlas to be used without internet or cellular communications.

Source: Defense News