Pentagon taps into Ukrainian drone expertise for military edge
As reported by the American newspaper "The Wall Street Journal," the Pentagon is seeking Ukraine's support regarding drone technology. The knowledge gained from an army with vast experience in using and countering unmanned aerial vehicles is expected to help enhance the potential of the U.S. military.
Ukraine is currently a world leader in drone production. Since the start of the Russian invasion, it has made significant progress in this area and has greatly increased the scale of production of unmanned vehicles. In February, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha acknowledged that this year, Ukrainian companies are expected to produce more than 4 million drones of various types.
USA impressed by Ukrainian drones
"No U.S. company is keeping up with Ukraine," said Nathan Mintz, co-founder of the California startup CX2, which has already established partnerships with Ukrainian drone manufacturers, as quoted by "The Wall Street Journal."
Although significant money has been invested in the development of these machines in the U.S., American startups face considerable challenges in producing low-cost, effective unmanned aerial vehicles suitable for the military. These are the types of machines that Ukrainians have specialized in producing.
As indicated in the publication, the Pentagon shows "strong interest in integrating Ukrainian drone technology into U.S. forces" The U.S. Army wants the cooperation between American and Ukrainian companies to strengthen rapidly.
The first effects of this cooperation are already visible, as the U.S. Department of Defense recently awarded contracts to two American-Ukrainian partnerships. These contracts involved testing assault drones, which have the potential to eventually be used by the American army. This most likely includes Skyfall drones with a range of about 40 to 60 kilometres, which have reportedly completed about 1.5 million combat missions during the war in Ukraine. The Americans would add their own software and sensors to them while retaining the main construction framework and Ukrainian warheads, which weigh about 5 kilograms.
Ukrainian long-range drones
Although Ukrainians largely rely on the cheapest FPV (first person view) drones, the attention of major global powers is drawn to more advanced designs. Not only Skyfall, but also long-range drones capable of striking targets hundreds or even thousands of kilometres away.
Ukrainians have also developed, among others, the Rubaka and Beaver drones with ranges of about 500 kilometres and 1,000 kilometres respectively, as well as a mysterious drone with a range of over 2,000 kilometres, capable of carrying bombs weighing up to 250 kilograms. Its existence was confirmed by the Commander of the Unmanned Systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Vadym Sucharewski.
The U.S. is not the first country interested in Ukrainian drones. A similar request for assistance had previously been made to Kyiv by a delegation from South Korea.
