HIMERA vs. Motorola. How Ukrainian HIMERA walkie-talkies were born and why they interested NATO countries

Since February 2022, the war has acutely posed the issue of communications for the Ukrainian army. Civilian walkie-talkies, in particular the popular Motorola among the military, were not created as military solutions. On the other hand, professional military radios like L3Harris remained too expensive and rare, as they mostly came to Ukraine only as aid from partners.

In this situation, Ukrainian startup HIMERA decided to create its own solution and set about developing a tactical walkie-talkie that would combine military functionality, mass production, and affordability. Using civilian components and its own technologies, the team was able to create a device from scratch that quickly attracted the interest of not only the Ukrainian military, but also foreign companies and even the US Air Force Research Laboratory.

The idea to create a startup arose due to the army's urgent need for reliable communication. Due to the shortage of walkie-talkies, volunteers and military personnel bought up everything available on the market - from cheap Baofengs to more reliable Motorola and Hytera.

All of these walkie-talkies had two significant drawbacks - they were civilian walkie-talkies that were not designed for use in combat, meaning they were easier to jam and intercept.

The second drawback of these walkie-talkies was the license for AES-256 communication encryption, which had to be purchased additionally. AES-256 is considered the most reliable encryption standard that cannot be cracked.

The need for military-standard walkie-talkies was noticed by Oleksiy Oliynyk, who joined the space defense in 2022 and proposed creating HIMERA.

He invited Misha Rudominsky, who had previously worked on the space startup Promin Aerospace, to the project, aiming to create a cheap rocket that would make satellite launches affordable for small scientific corporations and institutions.

The main obstacle at the start was the lack of experience in the production of military technology.

The development team consisted of 5-6 people and had been involved in civilian projects in the field of communications and electronics all their lives. Therefore, before developing the walkie-talkie, they collected feedback and wishes from the military to understand what they really needed on the battlefield.

"We went down to the basic level, asked everyone we knew in the military, and began to create not just a device, but a system adapted to the realities of the front," recalls Rudominsky.

The first months, the team worked in their free time, enthusiastically. They used components that could be purchased on the market and their own software. This made the process cheaper and more flexible.

"People invested whatever energy and resources they could afford," says Rudominsky. The lack of experience also made itself felt: mistakes, misunderstandings with the military, weak feedback.

The company introduced its first product only in April 2023 — the HIMERA G1 walkie-talkie.

The G1 became a niche radio, priced at UAH 4,000, which was designed for use by small units, i.e. groups of scouts, UAV operators, and other structures up to the size of a platoon.

The low signal power, according to the military, did not allow it to be used at a distance of more than 200 m, and at a greater distance the connection became poor. However, the low signal power allowed it to be used for longer, the battery was enough for use for up to 4 days.

The G1 acquired the attribute of military radios - the ability to operate in the PPRF mode, that is, it could quickly change frequencies, which, combined with a weak signal, allowed it to evade enemy radio reconnaissance and electronic warfare equipment.

The G1 also had AES-256 encryption, so if the Russians were to intercept any data, they wouldn't be able to get any use out of it. The walkie-talkie itself could be configured from a phone.

The first sales to the military and volunteers allowed the project to develop further. "We gradually moved to full-time employment and began to grow. When it became clear that the company was successful, investment funds came in," says the company's co-founder, Mykhailo Rudominsky.

Already in the summer of 2023, HIMERA took an important step forward - their G1 received MESH. This is a function that allows you to use each radio as a repeater, creating a network between them, like a spider's web.

For example, two soldiers, who are 400 meters apart, can place an intermediate radio between them. This radio will receive a signal from one and transmit it to the other, which will significantly improve the quality of communication.

The range of such communication depends directly on its positioning. Thus, in August 2025, the First Separate Brigade of the Ukrainian Air Defense Forces, thanks to MESH, managed to provide communication at a distance of up to 45 kilometers.

This event was more of an exception to the rule, as the Russians are constantly waging radio warfare against Ukrainian communications. However, it generally demonstrated the capabilities of MESH technology.

In parallel, HIMERA integrated its G1 radio with the ComBat Vision platform, which made it possible to use the radios as a separate network for transmitting tactical data to tablets and phones. In other words, the military can create a large local area network for exchanging data via specialized software even without an Internet connection.

In April 2023, at the IT Arena technology conference, HIMERA took first place among startups in the defense technology direction and received a $10,000 grant from the Brave1 military technology development cluster.

In early 2024, the startup attracted new investors, including Freedom Fund VC, Lviv club United Angels Network, and a number of private investors . In total, according to information from HIMERA, they were able to attract $1.9 million in investments.

"Since then, we have been staying afloat thanks to sales and investments, which mostly go into R&D," explains Rudominsky.

These funds allowed us to present new models — HIMERA G1 PRO and G1 PRO L. The new versions retained the basic functionality of the G1, and also received increased signal strength (about 3 km in open areas), better sound quality, Internet connection, text and GPS coordinates transmission, as well as IP68 protection, which allowed the radio to be used in difficult conditions of high humidity or dust.

With improved quality and characteristics, the cost has also increased. According to the reporting of the "Come Back Alive" fund, as of 2025, the HIMERA G1 PRO costs 15 thousand hryvnias.

To overcome the limitations of short-range communication, HIMERA created the B1 and R1 mobile repeaters and the E1 internet extender.

At the same time, if B1 acts as a simple signal repeater, then R1 additionally supports an IP connection (Internet connection), which allows you to transmit calls over the Internet and connect to other repeaters.

These devices work as network bridges, expanding communication and internet coverage in areas along the front lines where infrastructure is damaged.

Thanks to this, communication can be organized not only at the platoon level, but also at the battalion or even brigade level. Mobility, autonomy and low cost (according to the reporting of the Come Back Alive Foundation, the B1 repeater costs 4,920 UAH) allow them to be used even as disposable means when necessary.

"We strive to give the military a full range of capabilities to successfully perform its tasks. There are situations where Motorola works great, but there are also those where it fails - that's when we step in," says Valeriy Kulyk, head of the product implementation department.

One example of the use of HIMERA systems is the experience of the 13th brigade of the Charter National Guard. Combat operations and available means did not allow maintaining contact with units located in difficult terrain. Then, to ensure stable communication, B1 and R1 repeaters dropped from drones were used in combination with a MESH network.

In 2025, the G1 PRO was also integrated with the Ukrainian situational awareness system "Kropyva". For this, the radio uses a built-in Teneta TNT modem from the Ukrainian company Teneta Labs, which develops radio systems.

This allows you to form a tactical network and connect Android tablets with appropriate applications to walkie-talkies to exchange tactical designations and intelligence about force positions, where it is not possible to use the Internet.

In August, the company introduced the HIMERA 2.0 update. According to the developers, it increased the communication range, improved the quality of voice transmission, reduced the noise level, and expanded the functionality related to repeaters and screen information.

Another major update was the appearance of the new HIMERA application, which allows you to control radio stations and repeaters from your smartphone.

Over the years of operation, HIMERA has been able to produce over 7,000 walkie-talkies. Their products quickly aroused interest not only in Ukraine but also abroad.

In March 2024, it became known that the US Air Force Research Laboratory had ordered Ukrainian radio stations for testing, and HIMERA is currently waiting for the results to be announced publicly.

In April of the same year, it became known about the partnership between HIMERA and the American company Reticulate Micro. The companies signed a distribution agreement, and Reticulate became the supplier of HIMERA products in the USA and other countries. This company is engaged in the creation of infrastructure for data transmission and optimization of their size.

In 2025, HIMERA entered into an agreement with Canadian Quantropi, a company developing innovative data protection technologies.

The companies' partnership involves the integration of quantum-protected encryption into HIMERA products (G1 PRO, R1, B1, E1). Quantropi also acts as a distributor of Himera products in the US and Canada with the right to promote them in select NATO and allied markets.

In May, the team also conducted successful field trials with the Estonian Defense Forces, testing various communication and data transfer formats. In parallel, the team is receiving other export offers, but is not yet disclosing details.

Even the Russians have shown interest in the Ukrainian development. In April 2025, the Russians, through their own channels, launched an initiative to search for captured HIMERA radios in order to study them. They admit that the Ukrainians have managed to create a good communication system that can expand the communication capabilities of the SOU.

But despite such attention to Ukrainian development from abroad and HIMERA's desire to expand its own capabilities, their products remain niche.

They are mainly purchased by military units and volunteers, and special forces pay special attention to them, for which encryption and signal invisibility are important during operations.

The company has not yet received any orders from the Ministry of Defense. Such decisions depend on the Main Directorate of Communications and Cybersecurity of the General Staff, which forms the needs of the Ministry of Defense.

"As a manufacturer, we have something to offer and demonstrate real examples of application. But for some reason, it is still believed that the main walkie-talkie in the army should be Motorola," says Rudominsky.

The company explains that the difficulty in obtaining a government order lies in the fact that communication equipment is not subject to a simplified procurement mechanism, unlike drones and electronic warfare systems, which are included in the relevant Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 1275, or the DOT-Chain Defence project, created to make it easier for the military to obtain drones and electronic warfare systems on the marketplace principle.

Added to this is the gap in visions within the army itself: the needs of the rank and file differ from the requests of the command, and the commanders of the branches of the armed forces and the General Staff also have their own positions.

Such a multi-level puzzle only slows down the process of making new decisions. HIMERA admits that initially they lacked the experience and specialists who could professionally manage this bureaucratic part.

Now the company already has specialists who can work with bureaucratic processes, and HIMERA was also able to pass all certifications of the State Service for Special Communications, was the first in Ukraine to confirm the use of AES-256 encryption, and completed the codification process in Ukraine.

According to Rudominsky, HIMERA is capable of producing up to 100,000 walkie-talkies per year, although currently the monthly output is about a thousand devices.

In parallel, HIMERA cooperates with the military, improving its developments according to their needs. Most often, this concerns expanding the functionality of communication systems and their integration into the existing infrastructure.

In May, HIMERA, together with the Ukrainian military balloon manufacturer Aerobavovna, tested a new format for using its developments. The B1 repeater was lifted to a height of 500 and 800 meters using balloons. This solution expanded its application possibilities.

At the same time, the company is working to develop its own capabilities, attracting investments in R&D and business development.

In July, it became known about HIMERA's partnership with Tencore, the manufacturer of the TerMIT ground robotic complex. HIMERA is developing communication systems for this equipment and has declared its readiness to cooperate with other manufacturers working for the needs of the Ukrainian army.

Rudominsky emphasizes that the team sees its future in Ukraine: "We like it here, we are at home, the whole team is nearby. But over time, we want to work on all continents."