Ukraine turns combat experience of drone warfare into a new export resource: details
Фото: facebook В.Залужний
Ukraine can become an important source of combat experience in countering drones for the countries of the Middle East. This concerns the technologies of interceptor drones and practical experience of their use during the war with Russia.
This is reported by NBC News .
Journalists note that amid the escalation of conflicts in the Middle East, countries in the region are facing drone attacks on civilian infrastructure, including hotels, airports, and residential buildings in cities in the Persian Gulf. A similar situation has long been observed in Ukraine, where Russian drones regularly attack cities.
The article notes that Ukraine’s counter-drone system often uses cheaper interceptor drones instead of expensive air defense missiles. Such technologies have been developed and improved during the 4 years of war with the active use of drones.
“The raging war has made Ukraine a unique “ecosystem” that allows for testing innovative drone technologies in real time on the battlefield,” said General Chereshnya FPV spokesman Marko Kushnir.
He noted that constant interaction between the military at the front and manufacturers allows for rapid improvement of technologies.
“The feedback between the front and the manufacturer is very short. We can get feedback in the morning and have a solution in the evening that will solve new tasks on the battlefield,” said Marko Kushnir.
The company, founded in 2023 by a group of veterans and volunteers in Kyiv, produces about 100,000 drones per month, he said. One of its main interceptor drones is designed to destroy Shahed drones and is used by the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
Marko Kushnir also noted that Ukrainian developers have already received requests from governments and private organizations in the Middle East for cooperation. According to him, this could include not only the supply of drones, but also the transfer of experience in their use.
“We can quickly train their military to use this product in their conditions,” said Marko Kushnir.
He also emphasized that the experience gained by Ukraine was acquired at a high price.
“This is a level of expertise for which Ukraine paid dearly — in lives, territory, and a very long war with a larger, better-resourced enemy,” said Marko Kushnir.
Yaroslav Honchar, co-founder of the public organization “Aerorozvidka”, noted that before Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Ukraine’s military leadership was skeptical of unmanned technologies.
“In their eyes, a drone — next to a tank or artillery — looked like a toy. They couldn’t understand that this was the way to the future,” said Yaroslav Honchar.
At the same time, he emphasized that despite the interest of other states, Ukrainian experience cannot always be fully transferred to other regions.
“We have our own context, and simply copying it won’t work,” said Yaroslav Honchar.
It was previously reported that Ukraine has sent three teams of experts to the Middle East . They will work in Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia.
On the eve, Ukraine sent an expert team and interceptor drones to help protect American military bases in Jordan . The decision was made after the United States requested assistance.
As a reminder, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will send a group of experts to the Persian Gulf countries to train the military to shoot down attack drones .
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