BLUF: Three years in, Mavic drones are still a staple despite the Chinese manufacturer’s attempts to restrict their use. Russian engineers made tweaks to the firmware to bypass restrictions, while Ukrainians adopted firmware/developed countermeasures against Mavics.
Flurry of Consultations: MPs met with defense sector reps to discuss export controls. Ukraine’s IP office has developed new projects to improve laws on IP protection.
Europe needs new security measures after unknown drone incidents last week. To protect airports/bases, electronic reconnaissance systems should be installed, said an official at Piranha Tech.
Counteroffensive.Pro offers consulting and custom research services. Need talented experts on the ground to answer a due diligence or business question? We’ve got you covered! Email us here!
THE BIG STORY: Finding new ways to use Mavic drones on the frontline
Mavic drones from the Chinese company DJI are among the most popular tools for reconnaissance and attack operations in Ukraine. Their relative affordability, widespread availability, and ease of use make them especially versatile.
DJI sought to prevent the use of their drones on the battlefield back in 2022, ending direct sales to both Russia and Ukraine. But purchases were still possible through third countries, and Russian manufacturers quickly learned to hack the firmware limiting the functionality of the drones. Ukrainians, for their part, devised their own hacks to counter Russian modifications.
Mavic drones on the Ukrainian battlefield have undergone numerous modifications, with various kinds of firmware, antennas, and batteries. Ultimately, such tweaks can do everything from enhance speed and range to remove limits on altitude.
Those modifications have made them more versatile and unpredictable on the battlefield. At the same time, there is still no standardized, reliably functioning strike solution that works uniformly across all situations.
On the flip side, one of the main difficulties in countering Mavics is that there are many different modifications with no single method to shoot them down, said Inokentii Razumov, an advisor with the Come Back Alive Foundation.
Changes in Russian tactics have also influenced how Mavics are used by the Ukrainian military. Russians have started infiltrating with small numbers – one or two infantry soldiers – during offensive operations. Since they’re not using massive amounts of military personnel, using FPV drones to counter them isn’t always practical.
It`s more effective to use a Mavic to drop multiple munitions in a single flight, Razumov said.
"A Mavic can also carry three [grenades for grenade launchers] and hit two or three targets in a single flight," Razumov noted.
Ukraine has about 100,000 trained Mavic operators, making it harder to replace these drones with Ukrainian alternatives (read our Deep Dive about Mavic alternatives).
And the demand for Mavics remains strong in the military, Kyrylo Liukov, head of the Unmanned Technologies Department at the Serhii Prytula Foundation, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
In terms of numbers, 64 percent of all drone purchases through Prozorro, an open bids marketplace, were DJI drones (Mavic 3 and 3T) in 2024, with nearly $258 million spent. It's worth noting, however, that not all purchases go through Prozorro (read about how the marketplace functions here).
Both demand and Chinese restrictions are causing prices to increase, according to statistics from the Serhii Prytula Foundation:
In March 2025, the Mavic 3 cost almost $1,600, compared to $2,472 in August;
The Mavic 3T cost $4,166 in March 2025, compared to $4,460 in August.
“It’s very difficult to find a large batch at reasonable prices on the global market. The Mavic 3 (T, E, Pro) is being artificially removed from the global market and replaced with the new Mavic 4 (T, E, Pro) models, which have a higher price tag,” said Liukov.
The Russian military doesn't provide reliable figures on Mavic purchases. But the Telegram channel ‘Russian Front Hackers,’ operated by the group that developed custom firmware used by Russian troops, claims that as of August 2025, Russian forces had modified over 300,000 drones with 1001 firmware. There were said to have been 100,000 drones modified for all of 2024.
1001 firmware enables several key functions, including the disabling of GPS signals, bypassing of DJI restrictions, activation of the motherboard and camera without connecting to the company's servers, and installation of non-standard batteries. All of these functions serve to effectively nullify the company’s restrictions on drone usage.
How to counter Mavics
Due to the popularity of Mavic drones, countermeasures are a high priority.
Countermeasures can be divided into two categories: jamming with electronic warfare (EW) systems, or kinetic destruction. Kinetic destruction involves using an actual physical impact to destroy the enemy drone.
On the left, the Wingman 105 helps detect drones, on the right – Wingman 103 helps jam them. Photo by Counteroffensive.Pro
An enemy drone can be detected at distances of up to 3 kilometers, as seen in the Wingman drone detector from MYDEFENCE, a Danish EW manufacturer with an office in Ukraine. The company has mobile systems for soldiers, stationary positions, or vehicles.
Using these systems, a soldier can add two small devices to their body armor: one that would signal the approach of a drone, and one that would activate EW in order to jam it. The electronic warfare suppression radius is 200-300 meters, Lev Bashmakov, a MYDEFENCE representative in Ukraine, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
Apart from these newer products, anti-drone rifles have long been used to take out enemy drones. They work with a direct line of sight to the drone.
FPV drone with two and four barrel gun. Photo by Counteroffensive.Pro
Defense tech company VARTA DroneHunter is working on an interceptor equipped with a 12-gauge shotgun. While firing the system at an enemy drone, the shotgun neutralizes the recoil by simultaneously firing in the opposite direction, Maksym Dybenko, Project Lead of VARTA DroneHunter, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
The company is also working on an artificial intelligence called DOZOR AI, which would allow autonomous target detection at distances of up to 120 meters, though the operator must be within 20 meters to eliminate the target.
As Ukrainian forces have demonstrated, a Mavic can also be shot down with a net. Ptashka Systems has developed a system that equips a drone with a net launcher. For the drone operator, the main challenge is detecting and targeting the enemy drone. That's why net launchers haven't become highly popular, Dybenko said.
The challenges of using Mavic drones
This summer, DJI introduced the new Mavic 4 drone. It's superior to the Mavic 3 and its previous versions and has been called the perfect drone for reconnaissance and targeting by Dmytro Sleduik, head of R&D at Dronarium Academy, a Ukrainian drone school. The DJI Mavic 4 Pro also has greater payload capacity.
But for use in combat operations, it requires additional work with EW-protected navigation and frequency hopping. Among the challenges with the new model include susceptibility to various EW jamming, the need to install custom firmware, and the tricky requirements of Attitude Mode, which, if enabled, demands greater manual skill by the operator to keep the drone stabilized with GPS disabled.
DJI Mavic 4 Pro. Photo by Dronarium Academy.
Everything comes down to the country of origin of the drone manufacturer – China. The company has already imposed restrictions on purchasing its drones for combat operations. The manufacturer could further restrict drone exports to Ukraine by prohibiting sales through third countries, which is currently the only way for Ukrainians to purchase Mavic drones.
There are long long-term strategic risks to relying on China for this part of the Ukrainian supply chain.
Earlier this week, DJI lost a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Defense. DJI will remain on the Pentagon's list of companies with ties to the Chinese military, and the courts found that the company was part of the "Chinese defense industrial base." However, the judge rejected the Pentagon’s assertion that the company is "indirectly owned by the Chinese Communist Party."
Interested in sponsoring Counteroffensive.Pro? In just one year, we’ve accumulated more than 2.300 subscribers focused on Ukrainian battlefield innovation. This includes Western primes, defense companies, allied governments, and Ukrainian startups. Want your messaging to target this highly-sought-after demographic? Email me here.
BUSINESS LUNCH TOPICS: What our reporting shows!
Defense industry representatives brief lawmakers on export controls
On September 29, President Zelenskyy repeated Ukraine's intention to begin controlled exports of certain types of weapons that are currently in surplus. Agreements have already been reached regarding four export platforms: the United States, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, he said.
Defense industry representatives recently met with members of parliament within the National Security, Defense, and Intelligence Committee.
Participants included the National Association of Ukrainian Defense Industries (NAUDI), Tech Force in UA, the League of Defense Enterprises of Ukraine, the Federation of Employers of Ukraine, the Ministry of Defense, and Ukroboronprom, said Serhii Honcharov, executive director of NAUDI.
The discussion included pressing issues on:
export restrictions;
the functioning of the Intergovernmental Commission for Export Control;
lack of input on the MoD’s actions;
how to assess excess production capacity.
Regarding exports, participants stressed the need to establish an intergovernmental commission under the National Security and Defense Council. Currently, the council doesn't function consistently due to frequent changes in membership.
Lawmakers were open to discussion and demonstrated an understanding of the industry, Honcharov said.
The challenge of IP protection in defense
Ukrainian startups often choose Western countries when registering intellectual property due to stronger regulations and clearer legislation.
Ukrainian companies also frequently opt to register their patents abroad to avoid complications with export control or to meet investors’ requirements. But any companies seeking to enter international markets must comply with Ukrainian IP registration procedures or obtain domestic approvals if their IP objects are already registered abroad.
Ukraine is currently reforming IP protection and aligning its legislation with European standards. Four projects are currently under review at the European Commission, Olena Orliuk, Director of the Ukrainian National Office for Intellectual Property and Innovation, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
These projects cover patents, including inventions and utility models, trademarks, copyright, and trade secrets. The European Commission is expected to provide final feedback on these projects by the end of autumn. The government will then submit these bills to parliament in January.
What to do about unknown drones flying over European airports
Last week, dozens of incidents involving drones were reported in Denmark, Norway, Germany, Poland, Romania, and Italy, disrupting civil aviation and raising concerns of growing Russian hybrid aggression.
Drones have been spotted not only over airports, but also military bases. In Denmark, civilian drone use has been banned entirely due to two European summits taking place on Wednesday and Thursday.
It won’t be easy to quickly protect strategic facilities during similar drone incidents in the future. Still, integrating day and night vision cameras for surveillance and electronic warfare (EW) reconnaissance systems can provide some basic protection, Anatolii Khrapchynskyi, deputy head of Piranha Tech, an EW systems manufacturer, told Counteroffensive.Pro.
These systems must operate within the 100 to 7,000 MGhz range to enable the detection of drones like Mavic, Autel, and other small drones. Cameras should incorporate AI elements to automatically distinguish drones from birds, Khrapchynskyi said.
Looking further ahead, however, a comprehensive detection system should be built to protect Europe`s airspace, Khrapchynskyi suggested. This would involve:
acoustic radars;
radar stations;
surveillance cameras;
electronic warfare reconnaissance that can identify drones by their signature;
working together with mobile network operators to detect suspicious objects.
All these features should be integrated into a single AI-based system that enables rapid target detection and engagement when necessary, Khrapchynskyi said. When multiple types of protection are available, it’s more difficult for enemy drones to bypass detection systems.
A new concept for artillery detection using drones
Quantum Systems has developed a drone with an acoustic sensor that 'hears' artillery fire, flies to the source, determines its coordinates, and transmits them to the military. The system has already been tested on the front lines and currently has a working range of up to 5 km, the company said.
The drone is intended for reconnaissance. The drone itself does not strike the target, but serves as 'eyes,' after which other drones carry out the strike, explained Krista-Marija Läbe,
PR manager at Quantum Systems.
Developers are training the system on specific sounds using AI, so that it can recognize and label them, distinguishing between artillery and other noises. It does not yet identify other drones by sound, but that capability is in the works.
Ukrainian orders/legislation we’re tracking:
By: Oksana Zabolotna
Amendments concerning Defense Procurement and the Use of UNITED24 Accounts
Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine №1028 of August 26, 2025
Why it’s important: These changes expand the number of authorized state customers, speeding up procurement of military or dual-use goods during wartime. By allowing regional and Kyiv city administrations to act as defense purchasers, the system becomes more flexible and responsive to urgent military needs. The use of UNITED24 funds ensures transparent financing and broader support from international and domestic donors.
Proposals:
For the period of martial law, regional and the Kyiv city (military) administrations, or their authorized structural units, are granted the status of state customers in the field of defense and may carry out procurement of defense-related goods and services (including dual-use goods) upon request of military units, using funds from the special UNITED24 account;
In terms of the procedure for the use of UNITED24 accounts, the resolution explicitly stipulates that the Kyiv city (military) administration is also included among the recipients of contributions.
Stage: Entered into force on August 28, 2025
Initiator: The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine.
What’s next: Implementation of the resolution.
ON THE MOVE: Professional movement, promotions and industry news.
Know someone in the defense tech space who has made a professional move? Drop us a line at [email protected]!
Yuliya Maltseva has joined STARK, a German manufacturer of loitering munitions, as a customer engagement manager. She is also the co-founder of Women in Defense Tech.
Ihor Kulakevych has left his position as product manager at FRDM GROUP, a Ukrainian unmanned technologies maker. He declined to comment on his next move.
Serhii Lavrov has joined Octava Defence, an investment and cyber company, as its chief marketing officer. Previously, he worked at Kvertus, a producer of EW systems.
30 SECOND ELEVATOR PITCH:
ARMADRONE is a drone maker that evolved based on the battlefield experience of the Ukrainian company UA Dynamics. The company holds government contracts in Ukraine, works on development in Poland, and is preparing to launch production in the EU.
The startup is fundraising €13 million to start serial production of four new models.
“We are building a full-cycle process — from composite materials to final testing — to supply the Armed Forces of Ukraine and scale our solutions to international markets, primarily NATO countries. Our portfolio already includes reusable strike drones, operational and strategic kamikaze UAVs, munitions, ground equipment, proprietary software, and training programs,” said Maksym Subotin, chief business development officer at ARMADRONE.
MUST READS:
The Ukrainian military shot down a Russian Mi-8 helicopter for the first time using an FPV drone.
MITS Capital, a Ukrainian-American investment group, is establishing a new defense company, MITS Industries, which will bring together leading Ukrainian manufacturers in the fields of drones, counter-drone systems, signals intelligence, and electronic warfare.
Zelenskyy signed a law that restricts public access to information in state registries about defense companies, №11533. It protects defense enterprises from sensitive information leaks, including company registration address, enterprise real estate properties, etc.
Ukraine is forming a branch within the Air Force focused exclusively on using unmanned air defense to strengthen the protection of rear facilities, civilians, and critical infrastructure. A command has already been established, and units equipped with interceptor drones are being deployed.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Health’s Heart Institute plans to use drones for the rapid transportation of donor organs. Drones are faster than cars and potentially make logistics much cheaper within the limited hours available for organ preservation.
European defense company MBDA plans to manufacture Patriot missile launchers in Germany and open a new plant to double PAC-2 missile production, with the first deliveries expected in early 2027.
Thanks to our media partner:
Calibrating communications to strengthen resilience
