Like the Roman god Janus, Destinus has two faces, as the French magazine ‘Challenges’ notes in a recently published exclusive report.
The other face has remained in the shadows until now: since last year, Destinus, founded by Russian-born entrepreneur and Putin opponent Mikhail Kokorich, has also become one of the main European suppliers of military drones for Ukraine.
At Watson’s request, the company founder comments on the report and explains what he plans to do with his ventures in Switzerland and the European Union.
How did the company founder become an opponent of Putin?
Mikhail Kokorich is already being called the “Russian Elon Musk”. But unlike the American tech billionaire, the Russian-born entrepreneur (47) shows no understanding for the bellicose Putin.
On the contrary: he is doing everything he can to support Ukraine, which has been invaded by Russia. And he distances himself from the imperialist aspirations of his home country.
In mid-January 2024, Kokorich informed:
What does this have to do with Switzerland?
The start-up Destinus wants nothing less than to revolutionize aviation. In October 2023, the first private test site in Switzerland for the development of hydrogen technologies was opened at Payerne VD Airport.
Destinus is best known for the development of an autonomous supersonic aircraft rocket with hydrogen propulsion, reports Keystone-SDA news agency. The start-up has already flown two prototypes and is planning a third attempt for 2024.
The hope is to connect the continents within a few hours, initially to transport freight and later passengers. The rocket planes must fly five times the speed of sound, i.e. about 6,000 kilometers per hour (km/h), without emitting climate-damaging CO2 (carbon dioxide). For example, the Paris – New York route could be completed in 90 minutes.
When Watson asked, Kokorich clarified:
Until now, Destinus had its headquarters in Payerne (Switzerland). The company produces its drones in Germany (Munich), Spain (Madrid) and the Netherlands (Hengelo), as ‘Challenges’ writes. «Most devices are exported from Germany. A factory is also planned in Ukraine at an unknown location.”
Mikhail Kokorich emphasizes:
And about Switzerland the entrepreneur explains:
We are also building a test center in Payerne to test these engines, including the use of cryogenic liquid hydrogen.”
A visit to destinus.ch shows that the Swiss website is currently out of service. Kokorich confirms that this has to do with the move of the head office to France and the new internet address densus.com. The new website will go live this weekend.
To improve his relations with France, the Russian-born entrepreneur brought General Michel Friedling, the former space commander of the French army, to the board of Densitus. And “to honor his European and pro-Ukrainian roots,” he also brought on board former astronaut and Spanish Innovation Minister Pedro Duque, as well as former Finance Minister and Secretary of the National Security Council of Ukraine Oleksandr Danylyuk.
What does Destinus supply to the Ukrainian army?
In the interview, Kokorich explained:
According to information from the French business magazine, Destinus “has supplied hundreds of low-cost long-range drones to Kiev since the second quarter of 2023.” These propeller-driven devices called Lord have a range of 750 to over 2000 km, depending on the version, and are intended for ground attacks.
The unmanned aerial vehicles are also capable of carrying out intelligence missions and evading electromagnetic interference from the Russian military.
The range of the Destinus drones would therefore be significantly greater than that of the unmanned aerial vehicles previously used by the Ukrainian army, such as the Ukrjet UJ-22, the UJ-25 Skyline or the UJ-26 Beaver – which had a maximum range of 1000 km.
The start-up will also supply two other types of drones to Kiev, reports ‘Challenges’:
- The Ruta has a jet engine and has the appearance of a cruise missile, is equipped with fins and has a range of 300 km. It is suitable for ground attack and surveillance missions.
- The Hornets is “a very fast mini-drone” weighing only a few kilos (almost 300 km/h). This aircraft is capable of “intercepting and destroying enemy drones, as well as mapping an area or serving as a telecommunications relay.”
Hand grenades and other explosive charges are attached to the aircraft so that they can then be used as kamikaze drones against enemy positions. They are difficult to recognize due to their small size. In addition to assassination missions, they are also used for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes.
In December 2023, Ukrainian Minister of Digital Transformation Mikhailo Fedorov said in an interview that FPV drones were now more useful to frontline fighters than artillery. What is certain is that there is a technological arms race for aircraft and massive research is being done to defend against such attacks.
Long-range drones are of great importance to Ukraine because they can be used to combat military supplies flowing behind the front lines.
Sources
With material from the Keystone-SDA news agency
- challenges.fr: Destinus, the start-up with secretariat in Ukraine and military drones (January 30)
Source: Watson
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
