What is the AB3.Tech platform and why does the Third Army Corps need it? Quick interview

On June 2, the defense technology platform AB3.Tech was headed by former combat medic of the Third Separate Assault Brigade, Viktoriia Honcharuk. 

She then announced the launch of the AB3.Tech cluster — a new format of interaction between the military and defense technology manufacturers. 

AIN spoke with AB3.Tech CEO Viktoriia Honcharuk and asked how the cluster will operate, which problems it should solve, and what the team will focus on in 2026.

What the AB3.Tech cluster is

According to Honcharuk, AB3.Tech is a defense technology platform created on the initiative of the Third Army Corps to enable systemic cooperation between military units and developers of defense solutions.

“The cluster is one of AB3.Tech’s areas of activity, within which we are creating an institutionalized model of cooperation,” says the CEO of the AB3.Tech platform.

She says the cluster will allow manufacturers to work directly with the end users of their solutions — the military — receive feedback, adapt products to combat conditions, and move from testing to scaling technologies.

Why the Third Army Corps needs this cluster

“Our goal is to create a new model of cooperation between the military and the defense industry built around a combat unit and its real needs,” says Honcharuk.

She explains that today the interaction between manufacturers and the military often happens informally and is based on ad hoc feedback from individual fighters. 

For example, feedback after testing in Ukraine was received by the British startup Seeing Systems. The company, founded by brothers Alex and Matthew Le Metry, sent its drones to a Ukrainian brigade (we do not disclose the unit’s name for security reasons). There were logistical issues, too, which meant the drones arrived in Ukraine later than initially expected.

After receiving them, a brigade representative confirmed to AIN: Seeing Systems’ drones were tested, and preliminary feedback is positive.

Read more: “One pilot shouldn’t have to operate just one drone.” How Seeing Systems — one of the first DefTech graduates of Y Combinator — is testing drones in Ukraine

In contrast, the cluster is intended to make this process structured: manufacturers will gain access to evaluation methodology, analytics, and feedback from specialist operators, while the military will be able to systematically formulate technological requests and influence product development.

She says this will allow companies to adapt solutions to combat conditions faster, and the military to receive technologies developed based on real frontline experience and needs, rather than assumptions.

“AB3.Tech is designed to close this gap. We are building a mechanism for continuous interaction that will allow faster transmission of feedback from the battlefield, shorten product improvement cycles, and accelerate integration of effective technologies into the armed forces,” explains Viktoriia.

What the selection criteria for companies entering the cluster are and how many enterprises they plan to involve

For the platform, the determining factor is not the company’s size or the product’s stage of development, but its potential value to the military.

“First and foremost, we are interested in companies working on solutions to the pressing challenges of the modern battlefield, who are ready for continuous interaction with the military and to take their feedback into account, as well as for continuous adaptation of technologies based on combat experience,” Viktoriia says.

She adds that detailed selection criteria and the participation mechanics will be presented together with the launch of the first technology challenge, which is planned for July–August 2026.

“We are not setting strict limits on the number of cluster participants. The scale of involvement will primarily depend on the capacity of the military units, profile teams, and workshops of the Third Army Corps to provide quality interaction, solution testing, and feedback to manufacturers,” says Honcharuk.

What AB3.Tech’s plans are for 2026

In 2026 the team plans to develop a full-fledged ecosystem of defense technologies around the Third Army Corps. One of the key elements of this ecosystem will be the AB3.Tech cluster. The platform will announce other ecosystem projects gradually as they launch. According to Honcharuk, the platform’s operating model is similar in logic to the American DIU?DIU (Defense Innovation Unit) — is a defense innovation unit of the U.S. Department of Defense created to accelerate the adoption of commercial technologies in the military sphere., but adapted to the realities of full-scale war in Ukraine.

“Among our priorities is launching a system of technology challenges built around the most pressing challenges of the modern battlefield. The first challenge will be presented during a public AB3.Tech event in summer 2026,” adds the platform’s CEO.

She also names the following as key directions of work:

• expanding the partnership network with defense technology manufacturers;
• developing mechanisms for testing, collecting feedback, and integrating solutions into units;
• scaling innovations already being created within the Third Army Corps;
• attracting investors, state support programs, and international partners to develop the ecosystem.

At the end of May AIN spoke with the CEO and founder of Codective, Anton Herasymenko. He said the company is working on a new high-speed interceptor drone. The project has been in development for about half a year so far.

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