New “Eyes” for the Sky Defenders: Lviv IT Cluster Hands Over Modern Equipment to Air Defense Forces

Lviv IT Cluster, together with member companies and the Lviv Regional Military Administration, continues to strengthen the Air Defense Forces’ technological capabilities. On September 12, another batch of equipment was handed over to Air Command West. This time, the servicemen received a modern unmanned aerial system (UAS), “ELF.”

The unmanned aerial system consists of 11 UAVs, ground control stations, communication lines, and other additional components necessary for data analysis. Unlike a single drone, such a system allows full control of the flight and coordination of combat missions in real time. The UAS maintains stable communication even over long distances and in the most challenging conditions, which significantly increases mission efficiency.

“We already have this type of system in service. It completed the mission on the eastern front: we destroyed eight out of 10 enemy unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). I believe an 80% hit rate is a very good result. We are grateful to Lviv IT Cluster for their support and will definitely continue our cooperation to get through this winter more calmly,” commented Major General Borys Henov, Commander of Air Command West.

With the use of the UAS, servicemen of Air Command West will be able to detect aerial threats in a timely manner, track the movement of enemy drones and missiles, and respond quickly to changing situations thanks to the system’s mobility.

“This is a popular system, quite effective, and many military units are purchasing it. The waiting list was quite long, but we managed to get such a system for the Lviv region, and we hope that the effectiveness of countering Shaheds will be even higher. Supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine is extremely important, and we are glad that we can continue doing it. It is important to unite around initiatives like these to maintain our independence and sovereignty and win this war. I thank all tech companies for your donations,” emphasized Stepan Veselovskyi, CEO of Lviv IT Cluster.

The cost of such a system exceeds UAH 4,000,000. It was purchased thanks to the financial contributions of Lviv IT Cluster member tech companies: Romexsoft, LinkUp ST, Intellias, Devlight, CodeLions, CharStudio, Relevant Software, Indeema, DevCom, and EveryMatrix.

“We regularly contribute to the charitable initiatives of Lviv IT Cluster. What motivates us is the trust in the organization and the understanding that the funds allocated by companies will definitely go where they are most needed,” explained Andriy Sambir, CEO of Linkup ST.

“CodeLions also gladly joins all of the Lviv IT Cluster’s charitable initiatives. We believe that investing in air defense is extremely important because the lives of our children and all Ukrainians depend on it. Such support from businesses can truly change the course of the war,” stressed Mariia Dudas, Head of the CodeLions Charitable Foundation.

“Today Indeema celebrates its 11th anniversary, and this equipment handover is the best gift for us! I hope the level of support for our troops will only grow, and thanks to the joint efforts of responsible businesses, the military will be able to save even more lives,” shared Taras Dzhula, representative of Indeema.

The technical modernization of Air Command West is being implemented as part of the SKY project of the Victory Projects initiative, supported by the Lviv Regional Military Administration. The project was launched in the first months of the full-scale invasion. Its goal is to increase the effectiveness of air defense systems across eight western regions of Ukraine: Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, Volyn, Zakarpattia, Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, and Chernivtsi.

“We will continue to work on strengthening the technological capabilities of air defense. There is an assignment from the Office of the President of Ukraine and the Cabinet of Ministers to involve local budgets in the procurement of such unmanned aerial systems. Therefore, I want to appeal to communities and ask you to act like the Lviv IT Cluster: this association shows an example of how to take care of people. I thank the Lviv IT Cluster team and member companies for their systemic assistance in protecting civilians,” summed up Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration.

In total, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, member companies of Lviv IT Cluster have contributed UAH 177,840,000 to Victory Projects, which is equivalent to over USD 4,312,000.