Ukraine has turned its combat experience into a weapon and offered its allies unique innovations
Ukraine is leveraging its experience from full-scale war as an advantage and offering its military technologies to partners. This includes, in particular, the sale of drones, consulting services, and the establishment of joint production facilities.
According to the publication, over the years of war, Ukrainian developers have learned to respond quickly to new Russian technologies and create effective countermeasures. It is precisely this practical experience that has become a unique resource not found in any other country in the world.
Among these Russian innovations are FPV drones, drones with jet engines, and fiber-optic drones.
“Ukraine has gained a great deal of hard-won experience,” commented Stanislav Grishin, director of General Cherry, a manufacturer of interceptor drones.
The company added that even the situation in the Middle East is nothing new for Ukraine.
"... "They’re using tactics and strategies that worked in Ukraine a year or two ago… Most of the new developments in the field of drones and interceptors come from us, not to us," said Marko Kushnir, press secretary for the Ukrainian company, describing the situation.
As the WP notes, the growing threat from drones in the Middle East has made Ukrainian innovations particularly sought after.
The WP noted that since the U.S. began its war against Iran, Ukraine has signed 10-year security agreements with allies in the Persian Gulf—Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates— and very recently concluded agreements with Lithuania and Estonia, which border Russia.
Other countries have also expressed interest.
“Latvia will draw on Ukraine’s unique combat experience in defending its airspace against drone attacks,” said Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs. He announced that the two countries will soon begin construction of a joint venture to manufacture drones near Latvia’s border with Russia.
The article notes that Ukraine is gradually opening up the export of its technologies, although the production of the drones themselves is primarily geared toward the needs of the Ukrainian military.
It is noted that interceptor drones are increasingly becoming the backbone of Ukraine’s air defense. The percentage of intercepted drones is classified, but it is known that these figures are rising rapidly.
The publication highlighted that there are currently over 100 companies in the country working on developing various models of interceptor drones, which are constantly being improved in response to changes in Russian tactics.
One of the most promising developments is the “Predator” system from UFORCE, the same company that developed the highly effective “Magura” maritime drone.
"Predator" utilizes artificial intelligence, thermal imaging cameras, laser sensors, and automatic target tracking. In the future, the developers plan to make the system fully autonomous to effectively combat FPV drones, particularly those using fiber-optic cables. For now, however, the process of acquiring and tracking a target is controlled by an operator, who makes the final decision on whether to pull the trigger.
Overall, Ukrainian developers believe that the greatest advantage Ukraine can offer its allies is its knowledge of how war is waged in the 21st century. In other words, its main export is not only technology but also an understanding of how modern warfare has changed.
They believe that countries must learn to develop new military solutions in weeks, not years, as the speed of adaptation is becoming a decisive factor on the battlefield.
The Ukrainians are trying to convince their allies that tactics that worked even in the recent past are no longer effective because they are outdated. They are ready to share their experience with them and help them prepare for new threats even before they face them directly.
The Washington Post reports on this.
As a reminder, the Omsk Oil Refinery—Russia’s largest refinery, owned by Gazprom Neft—completely halted oil processing following a drone attack on July 6.
The successful attack by Ukrainian drones on Russia’s largest oil refinery in Omsk marked an important milestone in the campaign of deep strikes against Russian territory.
