American defense technology company Performance Drone Works has entered into a memorandum of understanding with The Fourth Law and Odd Systems to evaluate the domestic development, qualification, and production of Ukrainian frontline thermal camera technology.
The collaboration focuses on creating a domestic manufacturing pathway for the Kurbas 640 camera family, developed by Odd Systems. As the most widely deployed Ukrainian-made thermal camera across active frontline operations, Kurbas is currently supplied to more than 200 drone manufacturers and operates on diverse unmanned platforms ranging from strike drones to Shahed interceptors. Odd Systems develops the camera electronics, image processing, and low-level firmware in-house around the core thermal sensor, providing essential night-vision and reconnaissance capabilities for autonomous systems.
“Delivering airpower at scale requires a reliable supply of the critical components inside every aircraft,” said James Slider, CEO of PDW. “The Fourth Law and Odd Systems are developing and refining technology against the demands of today’s battlefield. We see an opportunity to turn those hard-earned lessons into enduring U.S. industrial capability.”
Under the proposed framework, the companies will initially work to jointly develop and evaluate an export-ready, U.S.-compliant configuration of the Kurbas 640. Subject to definitive agreements and successful technical evaluation, Performance Drone Works intends to serve as the primary domestic manufacturing partner, integrating the cameras into its own unmanned platforms and distributing U.S.-manufactured units to other domestic defense customers.
Beyond camera assembly, the partnership also aims to establish domestic manufacturing for the underlying sensing hardware based on technology from The Fourth Law and Odd Systems. This effort connects to Project Foundation, an initiative launched on October 9 by The Fourth Law and Odd Systems to mass-produce uncooled long-wave infrared sensors, also known as microbolometers, across Europe and the United States.
“Ukraine taught us the hard way that you can’t build drones at scale on components someone else controls,” said Yaroslav Azhnyuk, CEO of The Fourth Law and co-founder of Odd Systems. “Kurbas cameras were built and proven at the frontline. With PDW, we can bring that technology to American platforms and, through Project Foundation, build the thermal-sensor supply chain behind it on U.S. soil.”
The initiative directly aligns with PDW’s broader industrial strategy to secure domestic supply chains for critical robotics and autonomous systems. In July 2026, PDW received a conditional loan commitment of up to $820 million from the Department of War’s Office of Strategic Capital to build domestic production capacity and reduce reliance on foreign-controlled components. The partnership builds on the company’s recent acquisition of Vanteon, which expanded its communications, radio-frequency, and embedded-systems engineering capabilities.
“This collaboration is a concrete step toward the vision behind our OSC commitment: build the components our own platforms need and strengthen the supply base for the broader American drone industry,” continued Slider.
The memorandum of understanding establishes a non-binding framework outlining the business intent of the three companies. All development, manufacturing, sensor-production, and distribution activities remain subject to technical evaluation, applicable regulatory approvals, and final definitive agreements, while the OSC loan commitment remains subject to the negotiation of definitive documentation and financial close.
