Krampus © Ostaralab
Interview with Darius Antanaïtis, CEO of Ostaralab LLC
— > Interview by Murielle Delaporte
Darius Antanaïtis joined the Lithuanian company Ostara in 2015 as Business Development Director before becoming CEO two years later. He is one of the four shareholders of the new-generation start-up Ostaralab, created early 2023. Trained at the Vilnius Military Academy, where he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in military science and operational studies in 1996, he began his career in the Lithuanian infantry, where he remained for sixteen years. Like most of his fellow citizens, he is now a reservist in the Lithuanian armed forces and will remain so until the age of sixty-five. This duty is for him a key asset which “allows to build a dialogue between the military and industry. Such a dialogue is essential to better understand military needs and to base industrial offerings on lessons learned from the field, while keeping the military aware of new developments within the industrial sector ”.
In fact, it was his own infantry experience and deployments in Afghanistan and Iraq that gave rise to some of the concepts underpinning the development of the dual-use product line now offered by Ostaralab. ” During our patrols in Iraq and Afghanistan, our arrival in villages did not go unnoticed, as the noise emitted by our infantry vehicles incited the enemy to flee, resulting in the loss of many of our brothers in arm who were wounded or killed as a result of IED (improvised explosive device) explosions. In Afghanistan, moreover, the oxygen-depleted environment meant that our engines didn’t always start. These two major concerns – noise and operation in an oxygen-depleted environment – can now be solved by hybridity and the use of electricity when necessary. Robotization is another concept we are constantly improving, with the aim of saving the lives of soldiers traditionally confronted with the risk of explosive devices on the battlefield. “
In the interview below, he explains the progress of research at Ostaralab, a young company based in Vilnius, and the strategy underpinning its development.
Krampus: hybridity and automation ready for integration into the armed forces
The Krampus Mk1 concept was partly (” up to ten percent“, says Ostaralab’s CEO) initiated thanks to the funding of the European Regional Development Fund. The project, as it was formulated in 2020, had to meet the following criteria, according to the company’s website: ” “The company LLC OSTARA aims to create a hybrid vehicle with a continuous operation principle with a remote control function, which could move in a heavily carved area. A four-wheeled vehicle with four-wheel drive is being developed for operation in poor road or off-road conditions; designed to carry two people and a payload. The target segment of the planned product is environmental monitoring services, fire rescue service, illegal migration control services. The purpose of the vehicle is to assist in border surveillance, rescue operations or other situations where human life may be at risk. During the implementation of the project, the selection of optimal technologies will be performed based on theoretical calculations (modeling) of the suitability of the selected technologies for the final product. An initial prototype will then be developed and initial testing of the systems performed. ” (1)
Three years later, Ostaralab is able to put forward a ready-to-use solution and declare “mission accomplished” with the development of its Krampus all-terrain vehicle, ” special-purpose hybrid electric vehicle for security, defence or industrial needs“, designed according to the following criteria:
- a chassis adapted to harsh environments and increased loads;
- an intelligent hybrid control system ;
- a battery conditioning system aimed at ” reducing the thermal signature in electric mode “;
- “ The application of new control algorithms to improve power cell performance and durability;
- a remote control system enabling robotization, since the vehicle can operate in three modes: ” normal, remote-controlled and autonomous “;
The advantages of hybridity as imagined by Ostaralab are numerous, starting with :
- flexibility of use, since not only Ostaralab’s “hybrid” engine Krampus which is ” powered by a high-voltage battery and a diesel generator can run on any type of military fuel – Diesel or JP8 – but its modular concept means it can be adapted to any type of vehicle: Ostaralab is thus positioned for the future, in line with NATO’s move towards monofuel vehicles, but also the eventual adoption of “hydrogen hybrids”, which for Darius Antanaïtis represent the future. ” Our focus is less on the vehicle itself than on its drive, so that it can be easily integrated by automotive companies and/or easily assembled with vehicles used by allied armed forces. “He explains, pointing out that Krampus is ready for mass production.
- Simplicity of maintenance: this “modularity which separates chassis, drive train, battery pack and diesel generator for faster replacement in the field “also offers an advantage in terms of maintenance: ” for maintainers, nothing is simpler than connecting and reconnecting cables, and the savings in time and energy are considerable. “explains the president of Ostaralab.
- The savings are indeed significant in terms of fuel, logistic footprint and operational maintenance, bearing in mind that the batteries ” can also be charged externally, using a type 2 CCS charging socket. “, can be recharged ” downhill ” for example, on hilly or mountainous terrain, or at night in military camps when electrical generators are under less strain.
- The safety provided by using less flammable fuel than before.
- The ” stealth ” properties, not only due to the silent mobility enabled by the use of electricity, but also due to a lower heat signature, as mentioned above, make the vehicle less easily detectable by the enemy.
- Last but not least, the potential for automation speaks for itself, not only in terms of saving lives but also of protecting infantrymen, not to mention the tactical advantages that are waiting to be exploited by new concepts of operation currently being invented.
It’s this modularity and adaptability that make Ostaralab’s strength and set it apart from its counterparts. To achieve such versatility, research and development efforts in the dual fields of hybridization and battlefield automation have been decisive, with an original approach: ” we have developed our own testing platform, which exists nowhere else on the market “, explains Darius Antanaïtis, who stresses, however, that this fundamental task consumes a lot of time and money, and can only exist thanks to Ostaralab’s other activities.
Multi-mission trailers: a range of dual-purpose products for a successful diversification strategy
These include Ostaralab’s second flagship product line, dual-purpose trailers. Here again, modularity is the key word. Indeed, while lack of investment drains the mass that armies would need to face a high-intensity conflict, one of the concerns of armies is, for Darius Antanaïtis, ” the use of vehicles dedicated to a single mission “, hence the idea of developing multi-purpose trailers: ” Why spend hundreds of thousands of euros on armored air defense vehicles, for example, when you can simply invest in multi-mission trailers? We have already tested this concept precisely for anti-aircraft missions, but also for anti-tank functions (notably in cooperation with German partners) and medical support missions. “he explains.
Similarly, at this year’s DSEI 2023, Ostaralab unveiled its TrollHuset, an ” off-road folding camper “, as a mobile command post for drone operations. Similarly, ” the army tends to mobilize a vehicle as a PC or set up a tent specifically for command purpose. “The advantage of using a dual-purpose camper is twofold, since it saves military resources and offers the mobility needed for Ukraine-like conflicts.
However, the civilian market remains essential to the Lithuanian start-up’s economic growth, and the TrollHuset is particularly well suited for the Icelandic camping market, where its resistance to extreme weather conditions and off-road properties make it a perfect candidate.
Being present at military trade shows is essential for Ostalarab, particularly in its pursuit of partnerships. Ostaralab has been a regular exhibitor at Eurosatory since 2016. ” Eurosatory is Europe’s largest defense and security show, so for us it’s a must. We are seeking to develop international cooperation, in particular with a view to responding to NATO’s DIANA-type calls for tender, which require multilateral partnerships. [Editor’s note: DIANA is an innovation incubator offering NATO support to companies developing dual-use solutions to address the emergence of new disruptive technologies (2)].and our presence at previous editions has confirmed our customers’ interest in the innovations we display. This year, we intend to reserve more outdoor exhibition space to showcase not only the Krampus and the Trollhuset, but also a surprise that we are reserving for the public to be discovered on this occasion. “concludes Ostaralab’s CEO.
Notes
(1) https://ostaralab.com/funding-for-development-of-an-innovative-autonomous-vehicle/
(2) DIANA stands for “Defence Innovation Accelerator for the Nort Atlantic”. Find out more >>> https://diana.nato.int/