The seal of having been “combat tested” has become the main demand of the ukrainian drones. In the last month alone, kyiv has signed four agreements with third countries to cooperate in the production of drones and anti-drone technologies. From gulf states who seek to shield themselves european countries that accelerate the construction of an ‘anti-drone wall’Ukraine is immersed in negotiations with governments around the world to export the technology and knowledge accumulated after more than four years of war.
“Twenty countries are already working with Ukraine at different levels to close drone agreements with us. Soon we will also sign political agreements with more countries,” said the Ukrainian president. Volodímir Zelenskilast Monday via Telegram. In a new round of talks at the highest level, Kiev has closed political pacts, which will later evolve into contracts for its arms industry.
This sector has become one of the pillars of the ukrainian economy as the war has progressed. According to a report by the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the ability of military production of the country is already 55 times higher to that recorded at the beginning of the Russian invasion. In this growth, the attack drones, with a manufacturing capacity that exceeds eight million units annually, and the drones interceptoresof which Ukraine plans to produce 100,000 units throughout 2025.
Apart from technology and military knowledge, Ukraine is exporting to the world a mathematical logic of modern warfare. The interceptor missiles used, for example, by the United States to stop Iranian attacks cost around four million dollars each, while much of the offensive launched from Tehran is based on drones Shahed of just 20,000 dollars. This economic asymmetry puts drones at the center of the strategy of current conflicts. “Due to Russian aggression, deaths have become massive and threats more dangerous, especially everything related to drones,” Zelensky said.
The European ‘anti-drone wall’
The cooperation con Ukraine is part of the Brussels strategy to protect the eastern flank of Europe of Russian attacks. Apart from the roadmap proposed by the Commission, which plans to have ready a ‘anti-drone wall’ by 2027some European countries such as Germany, Netherlands or Norway have signed bilateral agreements with Ukraine.
“The main objective is joint development of unmanned systems cutting-edge in all areas, especially in the long-range attack area. In this way, we strengthen the security of both countries,” said the German Defense Minister, Boris Pistoriusthis week from kyiv in statements to the German agency DPA. The agreement to launch ‘Brave Germany’, of which no details have been revealed, would be aimed at the development of defense technology and to alleviate Berlin’s concern about the lack of Tomahawk, the long-range missiles made in the United States.
Spain has also joined the commitment to the co-production of weapons with Ukraine, with a commitment of 1 billion euros in bilateral military support by 2026. An agreement reached by the leaders of both countries after a joint meeting at Moncloa last March.
Beyond political commitments, European and Ukrainian companies have begun to weave alliances to manufacture kamikaze drones, anti-drone systems and key components for the military industry. However, technological cooperation also places them in the Moscow spotlight. In April, Russia released a list of 30 companies, including a Spanish one, indicating them as collaborators with Ukraine. Dmitri Medvédevvice president of the Russian Security Council, assured on social networks that this information “represents list of possible targets for the Russian Armed Forces”.
Drones to the Middle East
Gulf countries have also looked to Ukraine to protect themselves from the drones Shahed what Iran has used to attack them in response to the joint offensive by the United States and Israel against their territory. In this sense, the Ukrainian president reported at the end of March that he had reached 10-year agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates and said it expects similar agreements with Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Furthermore, Zelensky sent more than 200 ukrainian soldiers of the anti-drone units to the region, after the US Army deployed a Ukrainian drone detection platform at the Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia, as reported by Reuters.
The current conflict in Middle Eastor has incorporated some of the latest innovations that Ukraine and Russia have developed on the battlefield. In that sense, drones that previously operated using GPS and could be neutralized by computer now use long fiber optic cables which uncoil as they move towards the target. In this way, the devices do not emit signals and are practically impossible to hack or detect. This type of drones, in fact, has already been used by Hezbollah in attacks against Israel.
Close to an agreement with the US
Even the US Administration, which until now had been reluctant to cooperate with Ukraine on drones, has begun to change its position and prepares an agreement that would allow Ukrainian drones to be exported to the United States to subject them to military tests, according to a draft to which the ‘Financial Times’ had access.
Under the proposal, the Pentagon would request specific platforms and quantities of drones only for testing and evaluation “in order to inform the development of US military requirements for possible future acquisition.”
Publicly, however, Donald Trump has rejected Ukrainian aid since the war with Iran began and stated that The United States “knows more about drones than anyone else”“.
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