A Ukrainian making gear for the war says his cheap tech wouldn't work against the US or China, but 'we're fighting the Russians'


Sinéad Baker
Thu, August 10, 2023 

A Russian howitzer fires toward Ukrainian positions at an undisclosed location.Russian Defense Ministry Press Service via AP

A Ukrainian producer of cheaper headsets for troops said they wouldn't work against China or the US.

"But it doesn't need to. We're fighting the Russians," he said.

The company is part of an incubator that includes 100s of projects making military tech for Ukraine.

A Ukrainian creating technology for soldiers to use on the front lines said devices that wouldn't work against the US or China work just fine against Russia's forces.

Misha Rudominski, the cofounder of Himera Tech, which makes jam-resistant radio handsets, told Bloomberg that his technology "wouldn't defeat US or Chinese electronic warfare systems, but it doesn't need to. We're fighting the Russians."

Himera Tech's headsets make use of readily available chips rather than military-grade ones, which makes them cheaper but less secure.

"We wanted to build a solution that is just good enough," Rudominski said.

Since its invasion, Russia's military has had to resort to using old technology and weapons. This includes decades-old tanks and aged missiles, as well as newer tanks fitted out with older and less sophisticated systems.

Russian troops have also been recorded using civilian phones rather than more secure means of communication.

Ukraine, meanwhile, has benefited from more advanced weapons sent to it by its Western allies.

But in the background, Ukrainians have also started to make or modify their own military equipment.

Himera Tech is part of a Ukrainian government incubator that has hundreds of projects making military technology.

Bloomberg reported that other projects in the incubator, called Brave 1, include a company making power banks from discarded e-cigarettes that can charge drones and night-vision gear, and one making robots that can carry supplies and evacuate wounded troops.

Another is making a web-based test to find warning signs of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, Bloomberg reported.

Ukrainians are also busy producing cheap, 3D-printed bombs that are already in use on the battlefield.

Himera Tech started working on its headsets after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, trying to make more affordable models for Ukraine's military to use.

According to Rudominski, there are now about 600 of its headsets in use on the front lines, after the first units came off the production line in April. By the end of the year, they expect to be making between 2,000 and 3,000 units a month.

The company also wants to partner with the Ukrainian defense ministry to increase its monthly output to 10,000 units.

It's part of a larger trend that could aid Ukraine's war efforts.

"Our task is to develop military technologies in Ukraine," Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's minister for digital transformation, told Bloomberg.

Read the original article on Business Insider