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Марія БровінськаWeapon
12 March 2025, 15:11
2025-03-12
“No American company is keeping up with Ukraine.” WSJ writes that the US is asking Ukraine to create the best drones for the US armed forces. What is happening?
As American drones have «disappointingly» on the battlefield, defense startups have joined forces with Ukrainian manufacturers to create better, war-tested aircraft for the U.S. military. According to the WSJ, American startups have spent billions of dollars in venture capital in the hope of developing small drones that the Pentagon says it needs for future conflicts.
As American drones have «disappointingly» on the battlefield, defense startups have joined forces with Ukrainian manufacturers to create better, war-tested aircraft for the U.S. military. According to the WSJ, American startups have spent billions of dollars in venture capital in the hope of developing small drones that the Pentagon says it needs for future conflicts.
However, many American UAV manufacturers have only created expensive aircraft that do not fly very well. In contrast, Ukrainian drone manufacturers mastered mass production of drones during the war. And now, despite limited resources, they are looking for new customers and capital.
«No American company is keeping up with Ukraine… You know their products work. They have a state-of-the-art, high-stakes lab designed to bring it all to a combat level,» said Nathan Mintz, co-founder of Southern California startup CX2.
Last year, the startup CX2 signed a deal to install its software and sensors on Ukrainian drones, which received approval from one of the branches of the US armed forces and may soon enter their service.
The WSJ reports that the Pentagon’s interest in Ukrainian drones highlights the challenges facing American startups in the industry, as well as the achievements of Ukrainians since the Russian invasion. While the Pentagon believes that small autonomous drones are necessary and a priority for funding, this view has not led to a boom in the American drone industry.
According to Pentagon estimates, the US is capable of producing up to 100,000 drones per year. For comparison: last year Ukraine produced more than two million drones. Some of them can fly hundreds of miles with explosives and have already been used in attacks on Russian territory. It is long-range UAVs that interest the US.
According to the authors of the publication, any «diplomatic twists» are unlikely to sever the connection that has developed between American and Ukrainian drone manufacturers or divert the Pentagon’s interest in advanced innovations from Ukraine.
For Ukrainian startups, growth depends on expanding beyond their home country, where there are restrictions on sales revenue and the government cannot afford to buy all domestically produced drones, so companies are looking for American customers and investors.
