Arke Telekom, a company developing defence and communications technologies, has secured €1 million in funding from ACT VenturePartners, a venture capital firm focused on deeptech investments.

The company develops communication solutions for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating in environments affected by electronic warfare, signal jamming and satellite navigation disruptions.

As UAVs become smaller, more affordable and more widely deployed in military operations, maintaining reliable communication links remains a challenge. Signal interference can affect their operational capabilities, while conventional communication systems designed for larger military platforms may not be suitable for smaller unmanned aircraft.

To address these challenges, Arke Telekom has developed ArkeLink, a communication technology that combines software-defined radio with a self-forming and self-healing mesh network architecture. The system is designed to maintain connectivity by automatically rerouting communication paths when individual links are disrupted.

Explaining the technology, Barış Karadeniz, co-founder and CTO of Arke Telekom, said that maintaining communication in electronic warfare environments requires more than a strong radio connection:

Networks must be able to adapt to changing conditions and maintain communications even when individual links are lost. With ArkeLink, we combine jam-resistant communications with a self-organising network architecture. Our goal is to deliver these capabilities in a compact, scalable solution that can be used across different unmanned systems.

Arke Telekom has also been selected for NATO DIANA, a defence technology accelerator that provides access to testing facilities, industry partners and international networks.

Commenting on the investment, Dr. Saygun Önay, co-founder and CEO of Arke Telekom, said the funding represents a step towards introducing ArkeLink to international markets. He highlighted ACT Venture Partners' technical expertise, experience in deeptech investing and international network as factors that could support the company's expansion.

While defence remains ArkeLink's primary market, the technology also has potential applications in disaster response, search and rescue, public safety and critical infrastructure operations.

With the new funding, Arke Telekom plans to expand internationally and broaden its product portfolio to support different types of unmanned systems.