This Estonian firm helps launch Ukraine’s combat drones

LONDON — Incorporating combat experience from Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s invasion, Estonian company Threod Systems is expanding its range of drone launchers and unmanned aerial vehicles employed in the war.

“Whenever you see a long-range drone hit a target inside Russia, it is likely that our launcher was used by the Ukrainian military to facilitate that,” Ranno Pajuri, the chief commercial officer of Threod Systems, told Defense News at the 2025 DSEI UK show in London.

“Since the start of the war in 2022, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have started to use our CATA pneumatic launchers extensively. The launchers we make are silent and efficient, and they require just four minutes between launches,” he said.

Threod Systems' pneumatic drone launchers are used widely by Ukrainian forces, according to the vendor. (Threod Systems)

In addition to Ukraine and its domestic market, the Estonian manufacturer has also supplied its drones and launchers to a number of countries in Europe, including Finland, the Netherlands and Lithuania, among others, as well as clients in the Middle East and Africa, according to Pajuri.

The company is also intensifying efforts to enter the U.S. market, company representatives said.

“Throughout its history, Threod has delivered its products to 27 countries, including 13 NATO member states and Ukraine,” according to the manufacturer.

Mikk Murumäe, the co-founder and chief technology officer of Threod Systems, said the company supplied the first of its vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) drone in 2020. Since then, Threod Systems has used feedback from Ukrainian operators to improve the software algorithms and operating procedures for its craft.

“We have a training center in Ukraine where we train operators in challenging conditions similar to those that they will later face in warfare. We work with these operators to make our products increasingly convenient for end users,” according to Murumäe.

In the meantime, amid a rising demand for its output, Threod Systems is readying new products to be introduced to the market. This includes its next drone, the EOS D VTOL, which is scheduled to be released in 2026, as well as new variants of its UAV launchers.

Jaroslaw Adamowski is the Poland correspondent for Defense News.

伦敦——爱沙尼亚公司 Threod Systems 汲取乌克兰抵御俄罗斯入侵的实战经验，正在扩大其在战争中使用的无人机发射器和无人驾驶飞行器的产品范围。

“每当你看到远程无人机击中俄罗斯境内的目标时，很可能是乌克兰军方使用了我们的发射器来协助完成这一行动，”Threod Systems 首席商务官 Ranno Pajuri 在伦敦举行的 2025 年英国防务展 (DSEI UK) 上告诉《防务新闻》。

“自2022年战争爆发以来，乌克兰武装部队已开始广泛使用我们生产的CATA气动发射器。我们生产的发射器静音高效，两次发射之间仅需四分钟，”他说道。

据供应商称，Threod Systems公司生产的气动无人机发射器被乌克兰军队广泛使用。（Threod Systems）

据帕尤里称，除了乌克兰及其国内市场外，这家爱沙尼亚制造商还向包括芬兰、荷兰和立陶宛在内的许多欧洲国家以及中东和非洲的客户供应了无人机和发射器。

公司代表表示，公司也在加大力度进军美国市场。

据制造商称，“在其发展历程中，Threod 已向 27 个国家/地区交付了产品，其中包括 13 个北约成员国和乌克兰。”

Threod Systems 的联合创始人兼首席技术官 Mikk Murumäe 表示，该公司于 2020 年交付了首架垂直起降 (VTOL) 无人机。自那时起，Threod Systems 一直利用乌克兰运营商的反馈来改进其无人机的软件算法和操作程序。

穆鲁迈表示：“我们在乌克兰设有一个训练中心，在那里，我们会在类似于他们日后在战争中将面临的挑战性条件下训练操作人员。我们与这些操作人员合作，使我们的产品对最终用户来说越来越方便。”

与此同时，随着市场对其产品需求的不断增长，Threod Systems公司正准备向市场推出新产品。这其中包括其下一代无人机EOS D VTOL，该无人机计划于2026年发布，以及其无人机发射器的新型型号。

Jaroslaw Adamowski 是《防务新闻》驻波兰记者。