Ukraine’s DONS Earns Top-Three Finish in NATO Innovation Hackathon
Ukrainian defense-tech company DONS has secured third place at the NATO Innovation Challenge 2025-II, a prestigious hackathon focused on countering fiber-optically controlled FPV drones.
The Gaze reports on this with reference to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence.
The event was organized by NATO's Joint Advanced Training and Education Centre (JATEC) in cooperation with the NATO Allied Command Transformation (ACT) and the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCDCOE).
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, DONS was one of three winning teams, alongside KMB Telematics Inc. and Sentradel, both from the United States.
These companies will now have the opportunity to further develop and refine their technological solutions in partnership with NATO-affiliated institutions.
The final stage of the hackathon took place in Tallinn, Estonia, bringing together 11 teams from across Ukraine, Denmark, Italy, Canada, Lithuania, Poland, the United States, and France.
The jury was composed of military and technical experts from Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence, the Armed Forces of Ukraine, NATO, and JATEC.
“The participation of Ukrainian companies in NATO innovation hackathons is of strategic importance,” said Valerii Churkin, Ukraine’s Deputy Minister of Defence. “It allows us to align our military tech standards with those of the Alliance and integrate real battlefield experience into scalable, interoperable solutions for modern warfare.”
This year’s edition of the NATO Innovation Challenge received a record 162 submissions, with 42 entries from Ukraine, which is the largest contribution from any single country.
The hackathon targeted one of today’s most pressing tactical challenges, neutralizing FPV drones operated through fiber-optic systems, which pose a growing threat in modern combat scenarios.
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