America Turns to Ukraine to Build Better Drones
With America’s drone technology a disappointment on the battlefield, defense startups have joined forces with Ukrainian manufacturers to build better, war-proven aircraft for the U.S. military.
U.S. startups have spent billions of venture-capital dollars in hopes of developing the small drones that the Pentagon says it needs for future conflicts, but many have produced only expensive aircraft that don’t fly very well.
Despite the Pentagon’s view that small, autonomous drones are essential and a funding priority, the sentiment has failed to spur an American drone-industry boom.
The U.S. has the capacity to build up to 100,000 drones a year, according to one Defense Department estimate. Last year, Ukraine built more than two million drones. Some of the Ukraine-built drones that the Defense Department wants can fly hundreds of miles with explosives
Ukrainian drones often sell for one-tenth the price of American options. They have proven on the battlefield that they can work when radio and satellite communication is blocked by electronic jamming.
With America’s drone technology a disappointment on the battlefield, defense startups have joined forces with Ukrainian manufacturers to build better, war-proven aircraft for the U.S. military.
U.S. startups have spent billions of venture-capital dollars in hopes of developing the small drones that the Pentagon says it needs for future conflicts, but many have produced only expensive aircraft that don’t fly very well.
Despite the Pentagon’s view that small, autonomous drones are essential and a funding priority, the sentiment has failed to spur an American drone-industry boom.
The U.S. has the capacity to build up to 100,000 drones a year, according to one Defense Department estimate. Last year, Ukraine built more than two million drones. Some of the Ukraine-built drones that the Defense Department wants can fly hundreds of miles with explosives
Ukrainian drones often sell for one-tenth the price of American options. They have proven on the battlefield that they can work when radio and satellite communication is blocked by electronic jamming.
