In a basement that looks more like a high-end gaming lounge than a military command center, operators lean back in ergonomic chairs, gripping standard PC joysticks. But they aren’t playing a simulation. They are controlling Sky Sentinel automated turrets – machine-vision-equipped Browning heavy machine guns – located hundreds of kilometers away.
This is the reality of Carmin Sky, one of the pioneers in the world’s first private air defense (AD) sector. As Ukraine enters 2026, the traditional monopoly of the state on kinetic defense is being disrupted by a agile, tech-driven private market.
The 95% Ambition: Why the State is Opening the Sky
The Ukrainian government’s 2026 war plan, spearheaded by Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov, sets an audacious goal: detecting 100% of aerial targets and neutralizing 95% of incoming missiles and drones. With over 6,000 critical infrastructure objects requiring protection, the state’s resources are stretched thin.
In November 2025, the Cabinet of Ministers authorized private enterprises to form their own air defense groups. This wasn’t just a legal formality; it was a strategic outsourcing of national security to the private sector to protect the economy’s “runway”.
“Air Defense as a Service” (ADaaS): The Key Players
The emerging market is divided between companies protecting their own assets and specialized firms offering protection as a service to third-party logistics and agricultural giants.
Carmin Sky: Utilizing machine vision and automated turrets, the company reports a 85% efficiency rate. Their system automates target acquisition, requiring the human operator only to confirm the “fire” command.
Gvardiya: A security firm that transitioned into air defense, focusing on training interceptor drone pilots. Their curriculum takes a civilian from zero to “interceptor” status in just two to four weeks.
Kvertus: A leader in Electronic Warfare (EW), now integrating its signal-jamming tech with private interceptor groups to create a multi-layered shield.
High Efficiency, Low Friction: The Private Sector Advantage
The primary driver for this shift is speed. The “military-bureaucratic complex” is often bogged down by long procurement cycles. Private firms operate on a startup timeline.
“The private sector is significantly more efficient than the state machine. The chain of command is shorter, and processes are streamlined”, says a representative from Carmin Sky.
This efficiency is also reflected in human capital. The operators are civilians – former Glovo couriers, taxi drivers, and police officers – trained to operate sophisticated weaponry through a UI that mimics modern gaming. This democratizes defense, allowing the private sector to tap into a labor pool that might otherwise remain on the sidelines.
Technical Integration and “Friendly Fire” Risks
Operating a private army within a national defense framework is not without friction. To avoid chaos, companies must pass a rigorous three-step certification:
Possession of an appropriate security license.
Status as a critical infrastructure provider or state contractor.
Absence of any ties to sanctioned entities.
Once cleared, these companies gain access to SkyMap, a situational awareness ecosystem that integrates them into the national air defense grid.
However, Yaroslav Filimonov, CEO of Kvertus, warns of a “zoo of incompatible solutions”. Without strict standardization, the risk of “friendly fire” – accidental engagement of friendly aircraft or overlapping EW signals – remains a significant hurdle.
The Investor Outlook: What’s Next?
The current focus is on “Shahed-style” loitering munitions, but the threat landscape is evolving. Market leaders are already preparing for swarm systems and “mother-drones” that deploy smaller sub-munitions.
For Western VCs and defense tech investors, Ukraine’s private air defense market represents a unique “battle-tested” sandbox. The companies emerging today are not just security firms; they are deep-tech integrators specialized in machine vision, low-latency remote control, and AI-driven threat assessment.
Ukraine is proving that when the state provides the framework and the private sector provides the innovation, the sky becomes much harder to penetrate.
Source: Deutsche Welle
