LightWare Statement on Media Reports Regarding Use of a Discontinued Sensor in a Russian drone

LightWare designs and manufactures commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) microLiDAR® distance sensors. Our products are not MIL-spec, are not designed with military applications in mind, and output distance data only—they are not trigger devices. They are primarily developed for Above Ground Level (AGL), distance hold, and obstacle avoidance on commercial UAVs used in inspection, delivery, agriculture, search-and-rescue, and wildlife conservation, as well as a wide range of industrial and IoT applications.

Because of their reliability and performance, LightWare’s COTS distance sensors are used by defence customers in permitted markets. They are classified as EAR99 dual-use commercial items under the U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR). We do not sell to embargoed countries, and we placed Russia and Belarus on our embargo list when the conflict escalated in February 2022 (Iran is also embargoed).

Recent reports reference an SF20/B sensor. This model (905 nm, ~50 m capability) was discontinued in August 2020 and is no longer produced or sold by LightWare. Our records indicate the unit identified is pre-2022 stock, consistent with its discontinuation date and the possibility of legacy/secondary-market units still circulating. Independent investigations (e.g., Conflict Armament Research) have documented that some components found in Russian and Iranian weapons were procured prior to February 2022—context that helps explain how a discontinued model ended up in Russia.

Multiple public reports and official advisories document the use of multi-layered intermediary and trans-shipment networks to source commercial components for Russian weapons programmes—meaning there is rarely a single, traceable path into Russia.

We have no dealings with entities reportedly linked to the Garpiya/Shahed programmes (e.g., HESA, IEMZ Kupol, Almaz-Antey), and none are LightWare customers. Reuters has separately reported examples of components reaching Russian manufacturers via front companies and deceptive labelling, underscoring the diversion risk faced by many COTS vendors.

Based on what we know, an unauthorised third party acquired discontinued product via secondary channels without our knowledge and employed it contrary to our policies.

Export controls & channel safeguards

Our products are EAR99 dual-use commercial items that do not require export permits under standard regimes; nevertheless, we operate internal controls to prevent misuse.
We maintain a published Embargoed Countries Policy and do not sell to parties in those territories.
We run KYC/denied-party screening to avoid dealings with specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons, require End-User Declarations & Warranties, and bind both distributors and resellers to the same obligations in our agreements.
Despite these measures, after-market resales and third-party diversion remain an industry-wide risk for COTS electronics given their ubiquity and general-purpose nature.

Regulatory engagement
We are co-operating with the NCACC and relevant authorities to confirm our compliance with applicable laws and to strengthen our channel controls wherever possible. We appreciate their guidance and will implement any recommended improvements.

LightWare strongly condemns any use of our products by sanctioned parties or in embargoed destinations, and any use that violates applicable export controls, sanctions, or end-user undertakings.