From private equity to precision strikes: How Lithuania's PDKinematics is rethinking drone warfare

Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, former private equity fund manager Rapolas Markevičius decided to put his experience to work in a very different industry: defence technology. Today, he leads Lithuanian startup PDKINEMATICS, which develops precision-guidance systems to help drones operate more effectively in increasingly contested environments. I spoke to Markevičius about the company’s origins, the changing nature of drone warfare, lessons from Ukraine’s battlefield and the challenges of building defence technology in Europe. From private equity to precision-guided defence tech Rapolas Markevičius, founder and CEO of PDKINEMATICS, is a former private equity fund manager who previously worked at 1 Asset Management. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he trained as a reserve officer at the Lithuanian Military Academy before founding the defence technology company. PDKINEMATICS emerged from the geopolitical upheaval following the invasion, with Markev