俄罗斯对乌克兰的战争引发了全球国防科技投资的热潮，尤其是无人机领域。然而，真正在乌克兰本土创立并发展的相关初创企业却寥寥无几。Buntar Aerospace便是其中的例外。
Russia's war on Ukraine has sparked a boom in global defense-tech investing, particularly around drones. But very few of those startups are actually based and building in Ukraine.
最新动态：本周，这家总部位于基辅的企业在由美国Freedom Fund VC领投下成功募资1600万美元，而今年早些时候它也曾获得1040万美元的投资。
Buntar Aerospace is an exception.
Buntar主要研发无需GPS即可运行的电动侦察无人机，以及远程操控软件。目前其产品已在战场上投入使用。
Driving the news: Buntar this week raised $16 million led by U.S.-based Freedom Fund VC, following a $10.4 million round earlier this year.
深入解读：联合创始人博丹·萨斯指出，身处本地让Buntar能够大幅缩短反馈周期——团队每天都能与军队保持沟通；同时当地拥有大量兼具民用技能与实战经验的潜在人才。
The Kyiv-based company makes electric-powered reconnaissance drones that can operate without GPS, plus remote piloting software. Its products are currently in theater.
他也坦言，与其他国家的国防科技企业相比，Buntar必须采取更多防范措施。
Zoom in: Buntar co-founder Bohdan Sas explains that being "local" helps Buntar shorten the feedback loop, speaking with military units daily, and also provides a deep pool of potential employees who have both civilian and combat experience.
“在乌克兰，任何地方都可能成为攻击目标。俄罗斯甚至开始轰炸购物中心与医院。为此我们制定了诸多安全规范：比如我们并未设立单一的大型制造基地，而是分散建立了多处生产点。”
He also acknowledges that Buntar must take precautions unlike defense-tech startups elsewhere.
幕后情况：萨斯透露，募集到的资金将主要用于扩大产能，因为当前乌克兰市场对无人机的需求已远超企业的供应能力。目前该公司拥有数百名员工，未来还将寻求数千万美元的新一轮融资，重点寻找能助力其开拓国际市场的投资者。
"In Ukraine, everything can be a target. Russia has even started to target shopping malls and hospitals. But yes, we have a lot of security procedures. For example, in Ukraine we don't have one big, beautiful facility to manufacture stuff. We have many of them and they are dispersed." Behind the scenes: Sas says a lot of the investment proceeds will be used to scale manufacturing, as Ukraine's drone demand has outpaced Buntar's supply.
萨斯强调，无人机作战技术虽在乌克兰实现了规模化应用，但其发展前景绝不仅限于这场冲突。
The company has hundreds of employees and soon will seek "tens of millions" in additional funding, with a focus on investors who can aid with international expansion. Drone warfare, Sas notes, hit critical mass in Ukraine but will not be limited to this conflict.
趣味小知识：公司名称源自《星球大战》，在乌克兰语中“buntar”意为“反叛者”；其首款无人机的命名也巧妙化用了《侠盗一号》的英文原名。
Fun fact: The company's name is derived from "Star Wars," as "buntar" means "rebel" in Ukrainian. Likewise, its first drone name was a linguistic riff on "Rogue One."