The French defense tech startup Harmattan AIspecialized in autonomous defense systems, announced a strategic partnership with the Ukrainian manufacturer Skyeton. The agreement concerns the integration of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) developed by Harmattan within the Raybird ISRthe long-endurance reconnaissance drone designed by Skyeton and widely used by Ukrainian forces.
This partnership marks an important step in the rise of the European autonomous defense ecosystem. The system Saharaat the heart of this collaboration, was designed by Harmattan to be embedded on mid-range drones. It allows the generation and processing of high resolution radar images directly on boardwithout recourse to a ground station. Coupled with the autonomy software suite developed by the startup, it gives the Raybird strengthened ISR capabilitiesparticularly in degraded or GPS-deprived environments.
The first Raybird equipped with the Sahara system will be delivered by the first quarter of 2026and that the first order comes from the French Ministry of the Armed Forces.
Founded in kyiv in 2006, Skyeton has established itself as one of the most experienced European manufacturers in the field of tactical drones. His model Raybird ISRwith an autonomy of more than 28 hours and a range of more than 2,000 kilometers, has already accumulated more than 350,000 flight hours on combat missions. Capable of operating without GPS and resistant to electronic jamming, it has established itself as a reference on the Ukrainian front.
Created in 2024, Harmattan AI develops a complete range of modular autonomous systems intended for defense and security:
- Sonoraa low-cost training drone for ISR simulation;
- Gobia fast drone interceptor;
- Saharaan onboard radar module with integrated AI.
At the same time, the company designed a universal autonomy software suiteintended to be embarked on air, land and sea platforms. Already engaged in two NATO programsincluding a British contract relating to 3,000 dronesHarmattan AI has quickly established itself as a key player in renewal of European defense.
Supported by Atlantic Labs And Saint James Financialthe company completed a fundraising round at the beginning of 2025, the amount of which has not been communicated.
