Ukrainian defense tech company The Fourth Law (TFL) has announced that it has raised funding, the company told Scroll.media.

• The round included a group of venture capital firms and angel investors from the EU, the US, and Canada.
• The company has not disclosed the amount, valuation, or other details.
• The Fourth Law develops autonomy solutions for robotic systems. It is based on the belief that over the next decade, autonomous robots will transform multi-billion-dollar industries, including defense, transportation, agriculture, and construction.
• The startup was founded in 2023 by Ukrainian entrepreneur Yaroslav Azhnyu, best known for Petcube, O0, and FuelFinance.

What The Fourth Law Is Building

TFL’s first products, the TFL-1 autonomy module and the Lupynis-10-TFL-1 UAV (day and night versions), dramatically increase the effectiveness of FPV drone missions while raising costs by only 10–20%.

The technology works by transferring control of the drone during the final 500 meters of flight to an onboard AI-powered computer. This «last-mile» autonomy enables drones to overcome electronic warfare and radio horizon interference, while also boosting pilot performance. The company has also released the first video showing large-scale use of AI-based drone guidance.

«Massively scalable drone autonomy is perhaps this decade’s most important defense technology. The funding we’ve secured is a critical catalyst for strengthening the defense capabilities of the free world. But we’ll need far more resources to fully realize this technology and ensure that the opponents of democracy and freedom don’t achieve it first,» said Yaroslav Azhnyuk.

Since its launch, The Fourth Law has released the TFL-1 module, which allows drones to autonomously fly the last stretch of a mission and operate in cruise mode. Designed for mass production — hundreds of thousands of units per month — the module is priced to be affordable for every FPV drone.

Beyond modules, the company also produces the Lupynis-10-TFL-1 UAV, available both as a standalone drone and as part of a full unmanned aerial system. The package includes one hundred 10-inch FPV drones with TFL-1 autonomy, a ground control station, and support equipment. These drones can strike targets at ranges up to 30 km carrying a 1 kg payload, or deliver up to 3.5 kg at shorter distances.

The TFL-1 module is also integrated into drones from more than a dozen leading FPV manufacturers. The Lupynis-10-TFL-1 system is supplied to Ukraine’s Defense Forces and government clients, while the modules and software licenses are available to other UAV makers. TFL’s products have passed codification and are already in use across dozens of units in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Building Toward Full Autonomy

TFL’s long-term roadmap for scalable FPV drone autonomy includes five stages:

1. Last-mile guidance (TFL-1)
2. Bombing guidance
3. Target detection and engagement
4. Navigation without GPS
5. Autonomous takeoff and landing

Once these milestones are reached, TFL envisions next-generation defense products such as drone swarms and hive-like nests, drone carriers, and fully autonomous interceptors of enemy drones — ranging from fiber-optic FPVs to Shahed-type loitering munitions and cruise missiles.

The company’s autonomy software stack includes simulation tools, computer vision, navigation, and fleet management systems, all designed to function independently of satellite-based GNSS. This modular approach allows for relatively seamless integration across platforms. TFL plans to expand the technology from quadcopters to fixed-wing drones, and eventually into missiles as well as land and sea platforms.

Looking ahead, the company expects these autonomy breakthroughs to move beyond defense. Over time, its technologies could be applied in civilian industries such as logistics, manufacturing, and construction.