📍 Bucharest / Remote (EU) | Full-time | Equity + Growth

At Kalkan Defense Systems (KDS) we design and build sovereign European defense technology – from Collaborative Combat Aircraft (Strigoi CCA) to KRONOS, our AI-driven mission orchestration platform.

We are developing AI-based capabilities and the enabling infrastructure that allow semi- and fully-autonomous platforms to localize, navigate, make decisions, and perceive the battlespace in real time.

As part of KDS, you will have the unique opportunity to shape the future of autonomy and AI in defense, one of the most demanding and high-impact domains — where performance must go hand in hand with robustness, resilience, and security against adversarial threats.

If you want to push the limits of what’s possible in AI, autonomy, and real-time systems — and contribute to building a sovereign European alternative in defense tech — this is your chance to join us..

What you’ll do

• Design and implement AI/ML models for autonomous navigation, perception, and decision-making.

• Develop algorithms for multi-agent coordination, swarm robotics, and collaborative combat missions.

• Work on sensor fusion (radar, EO/IR, EW) and integrate AI pipelines with real-time systems.

• Ensure robustness and resilience of models against adversarial threats, electronic warfare, and contested environments.

• Collaborate closely with aerospace, systems, and software engineers to deploy AI into real-world UAV platforms.

What you bring

• Strong background in AI/ML, deep learning, or reinforcement learning.

• Proficiency in Python, PyTorch, TensorFlow (or similar frameworks).

• Experience with computer vision, robotics, or autonomous systems.

• Knowledge of real-time systems, distributed computing, or embedded AI.

• Problem-solver with a startup mindset: fast, hands-on, and results-oriented.

Bonus points

• Experience with defense, aerospace, or dual-use technologies.

• Background in swarm robotics, UAVs, or multi-agent systems.

• Understanding of sensor fusion (radar/EO/IR), signal processing, or GNSS-denied navigation.

• Familiarity with C++/Rust for performance-critical applications.

Why join us

• Be part of the engineering team — your work defines the future of KRONOS.

• Equity upside: we grow together.

• Work on real missions — from sim → prototype → flight.

• 100% EU-sovereign defense startup: we’re building fast, lean, and for Europe.

💡 If you’re ready to push the boundaries of autonomy and see your work fly — literally — we’d love to talk.