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Japan Plans Interceptor Drone Production in Ukraine—but Not the Way You Think
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
Japanese drone technology company Terra Drone is planning to expand into research, development, and production in Ukraine—but is adapting its approach to wartime conditions, according to a UNITED24 Media correspondent present at a joint press conference in Kyiv on March 31.
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The event featured Terra Drone CEO Toru Tokushige, Amazing Drones CEO Maksym Klymenko, and representatives of Ukraine’s defense tech cluster Brave1, as the companies announced a strategic partnership focused on scaling interceptor drone production.
Terra Drone, headquartered in Japan, is a global provider of drone and unmanned traffic management solutions, with operations across Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. The company recently announced its entry into the defense sector as part of a broader expansion strategy.
While Terra Drone is considering establishing R&D and manufacturing capabilities in Ukraine, the company is not planning to follow a traditional industrial model.
“If you build a large factory in the normal way, it becomes a target,” Tokushige said. “Ukrainian engineers already have know-how—how to decentralize production and operate under constant threat. We are learning from that.”
Instead of centralized facilities, the company is studying distributed production models developed by Ukrainian engineers during the war—an approach designed to reduce vulnerability to missile and drone strikes.
At the same time, Terra Drone is preparing to bring Japanese engineers and production specialists to Ukraine as part of the cooperation. According to Tokushige, the immediate priority is not infrastructure, but battlefield validation.
“Right now, the most important thing is real combat deployment. That is what we are working on,” he said, noting that security remains a key constraint for any large-scale industrial expansion in Ukraine.
Ukrainian partner Amazing Drones is already focused on scaling production under these conditions.
Amazing Drones is a Ukraine-based defense-tech company that develops FPV and interceptor drones using combat experience gained during the war. The company is part of the Brave1 ecosystem and works closely with military units to test and refine its systems.
“The main challenge is scaling in a full-scale war—constant threats, strikes, and security risks,” said Klymenko. “There is also a shortage of personnel, but we believe these challenges can be overcome.”
Amazing Drones, which began as a volunteer initiative, is currently producing interceptor drones designed for real combat conditions, including electronic warfare and signal disruption.
Terra Drone aims to combine this battlefield-driven development model with its experience in mass production and global expansion, as it increases its presence in Ukraine’s defense tech sector.
Earlier, according to Kyodo News on March 14, Japan began exploring the purchase of Ukrainian combat drones, citing their rapid evolution on the battlefield. A Japanese Defense Ministry source told the outlet the systems have become highly effective due to constant wartime upgrades.
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