Started by two Ukrainian engineers in a garage with phones, microphones and 6-foot poles. Today: ~14,000 sensors deployed, with NATO funding for an additional 15,000 third-generation units. Each node $400–1000. 20% of all targets entering Ukrainian airspace are tracked via acoustic data alone. In one Shahed wave, helped down 80 of 84 incoming UAVs. Demonstrated at Ramstein; Romania actively testing. ML-trained on large datasets — only ~3% accuracy decline when Russians altered drone noise signatures.
| Country | Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Subcategory | Passive acoustic |
| Price | $400–1,000 per node (combat-proven) |
| Subtype | Acoustic sensor |
| Form factor | Distributed national mesh |
| SWaP | ~12x12x2 in node; Android-class processor with backup battery |
| Sensor modality | Mesh acoustic |
| Type | Parabolic + ML |
| Notable partners | Ukraine Brave1 cluster; Lithuania to deploy 2026 (first NATO transfer); endorsed by US Army Space & Missile Defense Command |
| Mounting | Fixed/mast |
| Coverage | Directional |
| Price band | <$10k |
| Output data | Bearing/AoA, Velocity, Heading, Classification |
| Array config | Single mic per node (legacy); newer 4-mic array variant |
| DoA accuracy | ~5 deg (4-mic variant) |
| Active/Passive | Passive |
| Localisation mode | Multi-node triangulation |
| Detection range (km) | 5 |
| Detection range (km) | 5 |
| All-weather / day-night | Day & night |
| Signature library / classification | ML trained on thousands of samples; false-positive reduced to 1.6% |