Ukrainian defense-technology company Buntar Aerospace has raised $10.4 million in a funding round led by Axon Enterprise, the US security technology company, marking one of the more notable investments in Ukraine’s drone sector in 2026.
The round also drew in Norwegian investment consortium Munkene AS alongside other private investors. As part of the deal, Buntar and Axon are developing a strategic partnership focused on commercial cooperation and technology integration, with the stated goal of expanding access to intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) capabilities.
“This funding will help us scale systems that give operators information as early as possible and help save lives at the most critical moments,” Buntar Aerospace co-founder Bohdan Sas said in the press release.
The funds will go toward scaling production of the Buntar-3 reconnaissance system and developing Buntar Copilot, a mission-management software platform. The Buntar-3 – an electric vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone capable of missions lasting up to four hours – was first publicly unveiled in late May 2025. The system is designed for reconnaissance operations, offering extended flight time and operational flexibility without requiring runways, the company says.
Copilot, described as a combat assistant for drone operators, is designed to forecast mission scenarios, reduce operator errors under stress, calculate flight sequencing, ensure continuous coverage, and provide centralized, simultaneous streaming from multiple cameras.
The Buntar deal is the latest in a string of investments Axon has made in Ukrainian-designed defense technology. The company previously led a €7.2 million ($8.6 million) seed round in Farsight Vision, a Ukrainian-Estonian battlefield AI startup, and backed Kyiv-based The Fourth Law, which develops AI-powered autonomy systems for counter-drone operations – though the size of that investment was not disclosed.