“We’re Ready to Scale”: How HIMERA Plans to Build Tens of Thousands of Tactical Radios a Month
HIMERA, a Ukrainian manufacturer of electronic warfare-resistant communication systems, is one of several Ukrainian defense-tech companies that now count the U.S. military among their clients. Since November 2024, HIMERA has been supplying its products to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory as part of an innovation test program — a development first reported on March 12.
«We earned more from this contract than from all our sales in Ukraine, where we usually just break even,» HIMERA co-founder Misha Rudominski told Forbes.
In a quick interview with Scroll.media, Rudominski shared the story of the startup, its operations in Ukraine and abroad, and its vision for scaling up production.
On founding HIMERA
The company was founded in 2022 by three co-founders.
At the start of the full-scale war, one volunteered for the Territorial Defense Forces in the Kyiv region. There, he witnessed firsthand the challenges facing the military’s tactical communication systems: some radios were affordable but lacked essential functions; others had the necessary capabilities but were expensive, difficult to produce, and relied on hard-to-find components.
That’s when the team set out to create their own solution: a tactical radio — and later, a full communication system — that would be hard to detect, intercept, or jam; that would transmit data reliably in harsh conditions; that would be mechanically rugged; and that could be mass-produced affordably.
On the team
Each of the co-founders brings something critical to the table. One has over 20 years of experience in hardware design, RF engineering, and communications systems. Another has more than 15 years of expertise in manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics. The third is a serial entrepreneur with a fundraising and business development background. Together, their combined strengths put the team in a strong position to succeed.
On testing and sales
Testing has been ongoing since day one — from early prototypes to every new iteration of hardware and firmware.
All of our users in Ukraine are members of the Armed Forces. Sometimes, they buy the products directly, and sometimes, they buy them through military units, charitable foundations, or other channels.
Abroad, we work with distributors. We also bring in specialists from various industries to get better results. Studying a new market from scratch takes much more time and resources than finding a partner who already knows it well.
On supplying the U.S. Air Force
We conducted market research, found a local partner, received interest from the Air Force — and made the sale.
Editor’s note: Under the agreement, Quantropi — a company specializing in quantum data encryption — is the exclusive distributor of HIMERA products in the U.S. and Canada, with the right to promote them in select NATO and allied markets.
We can’t share the details of the deal. It’s part of an innovation-focused procurement program, which could lead to further contracts.
This partnership already validates the global demand for our products — not just in Ukraine but in the world’s most advanced militaries. International contracts give us a path to growth, to scale production, and to attract foreign capital into Ukraine.
On production
Right now, our production capacity is thousands of radio units per month. But we’ve built solid relationships with suppliers and streamlined our processes so that, with the right orders, we can ramp up to producing tens of thousands of radios per month.
Looking ahead, we’re planning to expand and enhance our tactical communication ecosystem, build new partnerships, grow our user base in Ukraine and internationally, and enter new markets.
On attracting investment
We try to stay open and transparent (as much as possible) in our communication with stakeholders. Sometimes, we talk directly with investors, and other times, we talk with people who can introduce us to the right ones. It’s a constant process — making connections, getting yeses and noes, and also choosing who we want to work with.
Editor’s note: HIMERA has raised $375,000 from the United Angels Network angel club. Green Flag Ventures and Nezlamni have also invested in the company; the amounts were not disclosed.
“We’re Ready to Scale”: How HIMERA Plans to Build Tens of Thousands of Tactical Radios a Month
HIMERA, a Ukrainian manufacturer of electronic warfare-resistant communication systems, is one of several Ukrainian defense-tech companies that now count the U.S. military among their clients. Since November 2024, HIMERA has been supplying its products to the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory as part of an innovation test program — a development first reported on March 12.
«We earned more from this contract than from all our sales in Ukraine, where we usually just break even,» HIMERA co-founder Misha Rudominski told Forbes.
In a quick interview with Scroll.media, Rudominski shared the story of the startup, its operations in Ukraine and abroad, and its vision for scaling up production.
On founding HIMERA
The company was founded in 2022 by three co-founders.
At the start of the full-scale war, one volunteered for the Territorial Defense Forces in the Kyiv region. There, he witnessed firsthand the challenges facing the military’s tactical communication systems: some radios were affordable but lacked essential functions; others had the necessary capabilities but were expensive, difficult to produce, and relied on hard-to-find components.
That’s when the team set out to create their own solution: a tactical radio — and later, a full communication system — that would be hard to detect, intercept, or jam; that would transmit data reliably in harsh conditions; that would be mechanically rugged; and that could be mass-produced affordably.
On the team
Each of the co-founders brings something critical to the table. One has over 20 years of experience in hardware design, RF engineering, and communications systems. Another has more than 15 years of expertise in manufacturing, supply chain, and logistics. The third is a serial entrepreneur with a fundraising and business development background. Together, their combined strengths put the team in a strong position to succeed.
On testing and sales
Testing has been ongoing since day one — from early prototypes to every new iteration of hardware and firmware.
All of our users in Ukraine are members of the Armed Forces. Sometimes, they buy the products directly, and sometimes, they buy them through military units, charitable foundations, or other channels.
Abroad, we work with distributors. We also bring in specialists from various industries to get better results. Studying a new market from scratch takes much more time and resources than finding a partner who already knows it well.
On supplying the U.S. Air Force
We conducted market research, found a local partner, received interest from the Air Force — and made the sale.
Editor’s note: Under the agreement, Quantropi — a company specializing in quantum data encryption — is the exclusive distributor of HIMERA products in the U.S. and Canada, with the right to promote them in select NATO and allied markets.
We can’t share the details of the deal. It’s part of an innovation-focused procurement program, which could lead to further contracts.
This partnership already validates the global demand for our products — not just in Ukraine but in the world’s most advanced militaries. International contracts give us a path to growth, to scale production, and to attract foreign capital into Ukraine.
On production
Right now, our production capacity is thousands of radio units per month. But we’ve built solid relationships with suppliers and streamlined our processes so that, with the right orders, we can ramp up to producing tens of thousands of radios per month.
Looking ahead, we’re planning to expand and enhance our tactical communication ecosystem, build new partnerships, grow our user base in Ukraine and internationally, and enter new markets.
On attracting investment
We try to stay open and transparent (as much as possible) in our communication with stakeholders. Sometimes, we talk directly with investors, and other times, we talk with people who can introduce us to the right ones. It’s a constant process — making connections, getting yeses and noes, and also choosing who we want to work with.
Editor’s note: HIMERA has raised $375,000 from the United Angels Network angel club. Green Flag Ventures and Nezlamni have also invested in the company; the amounts were not disclosed.
