INNOVATION BORN OF GRIEF ⟩ Fallen Estonian Fighter in Ukraine Inspires Creation of Drone-Dwarfing 'Sandwich'

Photo: Erakogu

Jaanus PiirsaluWar Correspondent at Postimees

27th July 2024, 09:25

Last fall, an Estonian volunteer soldier, known by his military call sign "Stinger," died on the Donetsk front. This tragic event prompted a Ukrainian-Estonian software developer to take action and develop an anti-drone radar, now effectively used on the front line.

Former Estonian Defense Forces member Stinger didn't die in combat or near the front line. Two Russian suicide drones hit a house far from the front where Stinger and his comrades from the Ukrainian Foreign Legion were staying. The house was left in rubble.

Along with Stinger, two other soldiers were killed. After the attack, videos appeared on Russian social media channels showing that a Russian surveillance drone had followed Stinger and his comrades to their lodging.

"The drone tracked Stinger and his companions, hovered over their house, and they knew nothing about it. I recognized this as a bad situation and began investigating ways to protect against such occurrences." said a man in his 30s, who asked to be called Batko (his real name is known to us). One of his parents is Ukrainian, but he was born in Estonia and speaks fluent Estonian.

A radar that works like gold

Batko isn't just anyone. He has a background in software development and had previously worked with drones. In two months, he built a device that can be described as a portable radar that warns of nearby drones.

Batko had known Estonian named Ants Punning, who has been helping Ukraine for nearly ten years, and shared his radar idea with him. On Punning's suggestion, they sent the first anti-drone radar for testing to his contacts in the 124th Territorial Defense Brigade. These soldiers currently hold a bridgehead near Antonov Bridge in the Kherson region on the left bank of the Dnipro River, which is still occupied by the Russian army. Their defense area stretches from the railway bridge to Veliky Potemkin Island.

Estonian Ants Punning has supported Ukrainian 124th Territorial Defense Brigade since 2015. Photo: Private collection

"The radar works well so far, no complaints," confirmed Konstantyn, the commander of the 124th Brigade’s mortar battery, whose fighters use Batko's invention. "It really shows when enemy drones are overhead. It scans all frequencies and helps save our soldiers' lives on the positions."

Reset Every Six Months

The fighters of the 124th Brigade previously used a Ukrainian-made drone detection device called Tsukarok (Sugar Cube). According to Konstantyn, Batko's device is similar and works just as well. "Our men are constantly rotating, but the device is always there and has never let us down," added the commander.

Ants Punning emphasized the importance of the radar having proper antennas in four directions. "This way, it warns of drones flying at different frequencies up to a kilometer away," he said. Punning has already taken four of Batko's devices to Ukraine.

The 124th Brigade gladly received their second proven device. Batko kept one prototype anti-drone radar for himself to make ongoing changes and improvements based on feedback. "It's not yet in a fully finished product," he said. "It takes constant development and updating because all settings can become outdated within six months."

A soldier from the 124th Brigade of Ukraine, codenamed Muzikant (Musician), holds a drone detection radar made by Batko. In the background, the Voiku antennas can be seen. Photo: Private collection

Batko considers the device's advantage to be its ability to connect various antennas and be tuned to a wide range of frequencies it "listens" to. Frequencies can be changed as needed. The radar's name, Voiku (meaning 'sandwich' in Estonian), is written on the device. "Its case is in three parts and assembling it is like making a sandwich, hence the name," Batko explained with a smile.

Mosquito Nets in High Demand

The cost of the first anti-drone radars with cornflower emblems (the Estonian national flower) has been around 600 euros each. So far, Batko, his family, and friends have covered the production costs. Punning has also contributed financially. "If the feedback continues to be good and we secure the funding, we will certainly produce more," Batko said. "It's actually a very simple device; production is not overly complicated." Ants Punning confirms that they will certainly continue with the project.

Punning is one of the most experienced supporters of Ukrainian units in Estonia. He has been delivering aid on-site since 2015, when the war started in eastern Ukraine. He has known Konstantyn since 2015 and has been helping his unit since the early days of the full-scale war. In the first year of the war, Punning was so committed that when the 124th Brigade urgently needed a jeep, he took out a bank loan to quickly buy them a necessary vehicle in Estonia.

"Right now, there is a greater need for medical supplies, and they have started asking for motorboats (to cross the Dnipro River) and rubber boats with plastic bottoms," said Punning, who last delivered aid to Ukraine in early June.

Commander of the 124. Territorial Defense Brigade's mortar battery Konstantyn. Photo: Erakogu

Highly demanded aid includes mosquito nets, as the war is currently being fought mainly in the swampy riverbank areas of the Dnipro. "Army doesn't provide these, they just aren't issued," said Konstantyn. "There are a huge number of mosquitoes by the river. It's very harsh for the men." Punning's next plan is to find a truck for Konstantyn's battery that can tow a seven-ton howitzer recently acquired by the Ukrainians. However, the unit only has a light Soviet-era GAZ truck, which doesn't have enough torque to tow the howitzer.

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war in ukraine