Ukraine gets French secret tech for drones with all-weather SAR radar
Drone production (Illustrative photo: Vitalii Nosach, RBC-Ukraine)
Ukrainian drones will be equipped with reconnaissance SAR radars from the French company Harmattan AI, enabling intelligence gathering regardless of weather conditions, states the company’s CEO.
This French engineering development addresses one of the biggest challenges in modern aerial reconnaissance: dependence on visibility and weather conditions.
What is a SAR radar
Unlike conventional cameras, a SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) is an active remote-sensing system. It uses microwave emissions to create detailed images of the ground.
These radars provide high-quality terrain imagery in any weather conditions - rain, dense fog, or heavy cloud cover.
Moreover, image quality is not affected by lighting, enabling reconnaissance day and night.
Strategic partnership and Ukraine’s experience
The CEO of Harmattan AI also noted that European manufacturers have much to learn from Ukrainian companies. According to him, over the years of war since 2014, Ukraine has built a unique industry that adapts to frontline demands almost weekly.
He emphasized the importance of understanding the limitations of the modern battlefield, particularly in electronic warfare scenarios where radio communication or GPS navigation may be unavailable. Industrial cooperation, he said, has not only a commercial dimension but also a technological one - focused on data collection and analysis of real-world experience in modern warfare.
A particular focus of the cooperation is the study of electronic warfare (EW) conditions. The French side is interested in gathering data on system performance in situations where radio communication or GPS navigation is impossible.
Which drones will get the new 'eyes'
Although the official list of models has not been disclosed, a strategic partnership between Harmattan AI and the Ukrainian aviation holding Skyeton, signed in October 2025, is known.
Under this collaboration, French sensor technology will be integrated with the Ukrainian Raybird drone system. This drone is expected to be among the first to carry the new radars, significantly expanding its capabilities on the frontline.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy unveiled the first German-Ukrainian drone factory for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
He also announced that Ukraine is beginning to export drones to Europe.
