By unifying controls, startup led by slain soldier’s brother puts drone war in IDF’s hands

Udi Oster, a serial tech entrepreneur, founded the startup EyesAtop to address critical gaps in battlefield technology after his brother, Cpt. Eitan Itzhak Oster, was killed in a Hezbollah ambush in southern Lebanon. The captain was the first reported casualty of Israel’s ground operation against the Iran-backed group.

His brother's death in October 2024, just yards from the Israeli border, exposed how Israel's advanced technology struggled to meet the demands of a shifting, difficult battlefield. "Even though Israel is known to have one of the world’s best defenses, they found themselves at a disadvantage," Oster said. "Because it was highly overcast and the difficult terrain and topography, they couldn’t get any air backup, and evacuation was impossible for hours, so they were basically alone with what they had in their arsenal."

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Even though Israel is known to have one of the world’s best defenses, they found themselves at a disadvantage.

EyesAtop has developed a plug-and-play platform designed to easily integrate and operate multiple drones simultaneously. This system aims to provide soldiers with a wider range of tactical options, particularly in complex scenarios where conditions like heavy cloud cover and difficult terrain can impede traditional air support and evacuation. The technology is seen as a crucial countermeasure against threats like Hezbollah’s fiber-optic drones, which have been used effectively against Israeli troops.

Oster, who took over the defense tech startup with fellow IDF intelligence unit 8200 veteran Daniel Almog weeks after the October 7 attacks, emphasized the potential of drones and autonomous tools. He believes these systems can operate in places and under conditions unsafe for human soldiers, with artificial intelligence rapidly transforming their capabilities. The platform, initially developed by founders Idan Itzhak, Einav Harazi, and Ben Barkay, was designed for managing surveillance drones to help forces identify threats from elevated positions.

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Because it was highly overcast and the difficult terrain and topography, they couldn’t get any air backup, and evacuation was impossible for hours, so they were basically alone with what they had in their arsenal.