Rise Technologies launches Nakande drone communication system with 118-km range

The launch of this hardware addresses the critical vulnerability of signal loss in contested environments, ensuring high-resolution video delivery remains viable during active electronic warfare. By integrating control, telemetry, and encrypted 4K video into a single 160-gram unit, Rise Technologies is lowering the technical barrier for long-range reconnaissance and high-bandwidth aerial data collection. This development signals a shift toward more resilient, IP-based streaming architectures in the specialized drone sector, where frequency agility is now as vital as bit rate. Watch for whether this low-cost Ukrainian hardware enters the broader commercial security market to compete with established Western radio link providers.

Rise Technologies enters a rapidly expanding market for anti-jamming drone communication links, where multiple Ukrainian and international firms are racing to field frequency-hopping and spread-spectrum solutions. In early 2026, Ukrainian defense-tech startup Sine Engineering announced its own frequency-hopping radio module for FPV drones, claiming resistance to Russian electronic warfare systems, underscoring the intensity of domestic competition in this niche. The broader trend reflects a shift from analog video transmitters to digital IP-based links that can carry encrypted high-resolution video streams, a transition driven by the escalating electronic warfare environment on the front lines. On the regulatory and procurement side, Ukraine's Ministry of Digital Transformation has been actively funding and fast-tracking domestic drone communication technologies through its Brave1 defense-tech cluster. In May 2026, Brave1 announced a new grant program specifically targeting electronic warfare countermeasures and resilient communication systems for unmanned platforms, with individual awards reaching up to $200,000 per project. This institutional support has helped Ukrainian firms like Rise Technologies move from prototype to production faster than traditional Western defense procurement cycles allow. Meanwhile, NATO's DIANA innovation accelerator included two Ukrainian drone communication firms in its 2026 cohort, signaling allied interest in field-proven anti-jamming technologies developed under combat conditions. From a technical standpoint, the 1,000 MHz frequency-hopping bandwidth that Nakande employs places it at the upper end of what is currently available in compact drone communication modules. For comparison, Silvus Technologies' StreamCaster 4200, widely used by Western military and public-safety drone operators, offers up to 100 MHz of instantaneous bandwidth in its MANET waveform, a significantly narrower hopping range that nonetheless provides proven interference resistance in contested environments. The trade-off is size and power: the Silvus unit weighs approximately 450 grams, nearly three times the Nakande module's 160-gram footprint. Independent testing of Ukrainian frequency-hopping systems by the Kyiv-based Serhiy Prytula Foundation found that digital links with hopping bandwidths above 500 MHz maintained video connectivity in over 90 percent of simulated jamming scenarios, providing a benchmark against which Nakande's claimed performance can be evaluated as field reports emerge.