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US Says Ukraine Builds World’s Most Combat-Ready Drones at Scale
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![Photo of Ivan Khomenko]( "Photo of Ivan Khomenko")
The United States is expanding its military drone capabilities while recognizing Ukraine’s leading position in battlefield effectiveness and scalable production of unmanned systems.
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According to Defense Express on March 20, the US Department of Defense plans to allocate more than $1 billion over the next 18 months under its Drone Dominance program, aimed at procuring over 200,000 drones across multiple categories.
The initiative focuses in part on reducing costs for small unmanned systems. US officials report that first-group strike drones—typically weighing up to 9 kilograms—currently cost around $5,000 per unit, with plans to lower the price below $2,000.
According to Defense Express, US military officials have pointed to Ukraine as a model for adapting commercially available drones for combat use, including operations targeting Russian military aviation with FPV systems.
Speaking about the program, Drone Dominance lead Travis Metz said that Ukraine currently sets the benchmark in key areas of drone development.
“The best drones in the world in terms of combat capability and scalability of production are in Ukraine,” Metz stated, as cited by Defense Express, referencing remarks published by Air and Space Forces Magazine.
He added that one of the program’s objectives is to encourage leading global drone manufacturers to relocate production to the United States in order to support American military needs.
According to Defense Express, drone warfare has gained increased relevance beyond Ukraine, particularly in the Middle East, where demand for interceptor drones has grown amid ongoing hostilities involving Iran.
Ukraine has proposed supplying air defense drones to partners in the region and has deployed more than 200 specialists to assist with counter-drone efforts, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy previously said.
At the same time, US President Donald Trump has publicly stated that the United States leads globally in drone development and does not require external assistance in this area.
According to Defense Express, Ukrainian manufacturers are already participating in US-led initiatives. Ukrainian Defense Drones (UDD) was among 11 companies selected in a Drone Dominance competition, ranking sixth with a score of 72.9 out of 100. The top-ranked British company Skycutter, which scored 99.3, was reported to have collaborated with Ukrainian firm SkyFall.
Earlier, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine had received 11 requests for security assistance from countries in the Middle East, Europe, and the US, seeking expertise in countering Iranian Shahed drones, including interceptor systems, electronic warfare, and training.
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-a9cafb687def3d756df9a377a1340d87.jpg "Russian Ka-52 attack helicopter moments before Ukrainian FPV drone strike, March 20, 2026. (Source: ukrbavovna/Telegram)")
