Ukrainian tech firm launches affordable thermal cameras for military drones

October 24, 2024

By Ukraine

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Ukrainian tech company Odd Systems has launched production of affordable thermal cameras for FPV drones, according to company founder Yaroslav Azhnyuk’s announcement on X on 24 October.

In the drone-centric battlefield of the Russo-Ukrainian war, mass production of first-person-view (FPV) kamikaze drones has become essential. With Chinese export restrictions on drone components, Ukraine has localized 70-80% of FPV drone production, fueled by advances in manufacturing electronics and mechanical parts. However, video cameras and analog video transmitters remain the key imported components.

The Kurbas-256 thermal cameras, developed specifically for drone operators in Ukraine, offer high-quality imaging capabilities with prices starting at $250 per unit, dropping to $150 for bulk orders of 5,000 or more units, according to Azhnyuk’s post.

Company representatives told Militarnyi, the cameras feature 256×192 px resolution with 50° horizontal and 37.2° vertical viewing angles. The device includes unique capabilities such as in-flight contrast adjustment and pseudo-color interpretation mode.

“We’ve studied the experience and considered FPV operators’ wishes. And created a Ukrainian product with full control over hardware and low-level software,” Azhnyuk wrote.

The cameras are competitively priced against similar products, with comparable models like Seek UAV 256 and CADDX-256 costing 12,000 and 13,000 hryvnias per unit respectively, Militarnyi says.

The shooting quality of the Ukrainian thermal camera Kurbas 256 and available foreign analogues. Photo via Militarnyi

Odd Systems addressed common issues faced by drone operators, particularly regarding winter operations.

“Pilots complained about condensation forming between the sensor and external glass in winter, making the camera unusable. This problem only worsened with longer storage of cameras or drones. We considered this in the Kurbas camera and made it completely hermetic,” company representatives explained to Militarnyi.

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