At an event attended by over 200 Dutch and foreign firms, Ukraine showcased a variety of its defense solutions with proven combat experience.
A standout exhibit was the “Vampire,” a hexacopter-style unmanned aerial vehicle developed by Ukrainian firm SkyFall.
Equipped with daylight and thermal imaging cameras, the drone has been used in war zones for remote mining and precision explosives deployment against hostile forces.
With a 30-kilometer (19-mile) range, Vampire has also supported humanitarian efforts, delivering food and medical supplies to frontline troops.
“Vampires are used for cargo transport,” a SkyFall official told Ukrinform. “We know that one of the brigades transported four tons of cargo within a month using the Vampires.”
The ‘Baba Yaga’
Deployed in 2022, Vampire was initially designed to survey areas while hanging from cables.
Soldier feedback transformed it into a bomb-carrying platform with night-operation capability, hence the nickname “Baba Yaga” — a Slavic folklore figure.
The drone is now used to drop ammunition from high altitudes with enhanced precision and lethality.
“It is so effective and lethal that the Russians have created a separate special force whose only purpose is to counter them,” the SkyFall official said.
Other Ukrainian Solutions
Ukraine also showcased other defense innovations at the European Defense Innovation Forum (EDIF), including the Kolibri first-person view (FPV) kamikaze drone developed by TAF Industries.
The drone has seen extensive battlefield use, with the manufacturer reportedly producing more than 80,000 units per month.
Electronic warfare (EW) manufacturer Zavada was also present, seeking Dutch partnerships to advance its frontline-tested EW systems.
“We have a lot of requests from the military who want our product, because it has shown itself, proven its effectiveness on the frontline. It is essential that a high-quality product can reach the military as soon as possible,” a Zavada representative said.
The EDIF was held for the first time in The Hague, Netherlands, bringing together key figures from across the European defense industry.
