The Latvian UAV manufacturing company Atlas Dynamics plans to open a research and development plant in Ukraine in early 2023, and then a production plant in cooperation with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry, Defense News reported.

According to the company's CEO, Atlas Dynamics has delivered a total of 300 Atlas Pro tricopters to Ukrainian forces since the war began in February, and another 75 will be deployed in mid-January.

The company is now experiencing rapid growth. Previously, its efforts were aimed at increasing global exports, but now its focus has shifted to Ukraine because "it currently has the most incredible experience of modern warfare that is invaluable and can significantly help improve products and create new ones,” founder and CEO Ivan Tolchinsky said. The Riga-based company also hired Ukrainian refugees to speed up production.

The company declined to disclose the exact location of the R&D office or future assembly plant. According to Tolchinsky, the former will open in the next "months," but the company is still coordinating the details of the production facility with the Ukrainian ministry. Nevertheless, he said, cooperation with Kiev has already begun to "create new products and types of equipment.

Weighing 1.9 kilograms, Atlas Pro is much lighter than other platforms available in Ukraine and belongs to the category of mini drones designed primarily for reconnaissance and surveillance, as it is resistant to electronic warfare interference. According to Tolchinsky, the concept of its development was that it should be simple and convenient.

In recent months, unmanned systems have attracted considerable attention in Ukraine.

“Systems like the Bayraktar TB2 do help Ukraine; it is just that their use requires the cooperation of various branches of the military and other equipment to make its use effective,” Tolchinsky said. “It cannot win the war on its own, nor is it a golden wand but only a cog in a vast machine.”

He adds that while Atlas Dynamics has a long-standing relationship with the Ukrainian Defense Ministry and the Atlas Pro has been adapted to their requirements.

The company predicts that the ability to launch and control 50 such drones simultaneously will be possible as early as the first quarter of 2023. Tolchinsky also said that the company is developing new cameras with higher resolution along with other technologies that will be available soon.