New Guidance System Enables High-Altitude Drone Strikes
PDKINEMATICS is rolling out its jam-resistant hardware to allow for precision munition deployment from 700 metres.
Updated on Oct. 28, 2026 in Robotics
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Lithuanian startup PDKINEMATICS, established in late 2022, manufactures precision-guidance systems designed to enable drone-based munition delivery from altitudes of up to 700 metres. The company's Gannet system is currently deployed in Ukraine and other European regions to improve strike accuracy.
Why it matters
The system addresses a critical need for precision in contested environments, allowing smaller unmanned aerial vehicles to strike targets from higher altitudes to minimize exposure to ground-based fire. By adapting space-industry technologies, the platform provides a modular solution for existing drone fleets.
The Gannet system features a platform-agnostic architecture capable of integration across diverse unmanned aerial vehicle types in under four weeks. It enables payload deployment from an operational ceiling of 700 metres.
The players
PDKINEMATICS
A Lithuanian defense startup of approximately 20 employees that adapts space-industry technology for tactical drone precision-guidance.
The details
PDKINEMATICS adapts established space-industry technologies—components originally engineered for aerospace reliability—to the specialized hardware requirements of modern unmanned aerial vehicles. The company incorporates direct battlefield feedback from military end users to refine its guidance algorithms, ensuring they function effectively in GPS-denied environments where standard navigation signals are blocked or spoofed.
Timeline
PDKINEMATICS began as a project in late 2022.
This report was published on October 28, 2026.
The Tech Race
PDKINEMATICS emerged as a direct response to the operational demands created by the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The startup now competes within a growing European market for defense-grade autonomous systems, moving from localized battlefield testing toward broader regional adoption.
The Gannet system is currently available for integration into existing unmanned aerial vehicle fleets within a four-week window. It primarily serves military organizations operating in contested environments where ground-based threats require higher-altitude engagement capabilities.
The takeaway
PDKINEMATICS demonstrates how modular, aerospace-derived tech can quickly upgrade small, existing drone fleets for high-altitude precision. Readers should monitor the startup's expansion plans across European markets to see if these systems become a standard for medium-altitude drone operations.
Further reading
For more on how hardware modularity is changing defense, see our Robotics coverage.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Tech.
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