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US to Manufacture Ukraine’s Magura Drones That Sank Russia’s Black Sea Fleet
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A combat-proven Ukrainian unmanned surface vessel (USV) will be manufactured in the United States for the first time after Ukrainian developer UFORCE signed an agreement with US defense boat builder RECONCRAFT, according to The Wall Street Journal on July 22.
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The partnership is expected to transfer battlefield-tested Ukrainian maritime drone technology into US production as Washington expands investment in autonomous military systems.
👀 The US military tested Ukrainian Magura V5 naval drones for the first time during April exercises in the Philippines.
— UNITED24 Media (@United24media) June 25, 2026
US special forces integrated Ukraine's Black Sea tactics, using the unmanned vessels to successfully strike a decommissioned ship. pic.twitter.com/yprynWNs5O
The memorandum of understanding was signed at the Embassy of Ukraine in Washington last week. According to The Wall Street Journal, the companies plan to establish production of the MAGURA family of unmanned surface vessels at facilities in Oregon and South Carolina, with an eventual goal of manufacturing hundreds—and potentially thousands—of drones annually.
According to The Wall Street Journal, the agreement brings together RECONCRAFT, a US manufacturer of combatant craft for special operations forces, and UFORCE, the company behind the MAGURA maritime drone program. Under the partnership, both sides will contribute manufacturing equipment, materials, and personnel.
“RECONCRAFT is building multiple combatant craft platforms trusted by US and Partner Special Operations Forces in the world’s most demanding environments,” said Joe Silkowski, co-founder of RECONCRAFT.
“Partnering with UFORCE combines our manufacturing expertise and capabilities with the combat-proven autonomy of the MAGURA platform, allowing us to deliver greater capability to American warfighters faster than developing a new system from the ground up.”
According to The Wall Street Journal, the agreement comes as the Pentagon increases spending on lower-cost autonomous systems following recent combat operations that highlighted the high cost of traditional precision-guided munitions. The publication noted that the US has also begun employing unmanned surface vessels in military operations after years of testing.
MAGURA drones have become one of Ukraine’s most recognizable naval weapons during Russia’s full-scale invasion. Developed for maritime strike missions, the platforms have been credited by Ukrainian and Western analysts with helping force much of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet away from temporarily occupied Crimea through repeated attacks on warships and naval infrastructure.
The broader MAGURA family has also evolved beyond strike missions. According to information provided by UFORCE and cited by The Wall Street Journal, newer variants can launch aerial drones, conduct mine countermeasure operations, tow sonar systems for anti-submarine missions, and, in the case of the MAGURA V7, engage helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft.
“Today’s combat environments show that autonomous warfighting capabilities are a must-have. UFORCE is exceptionally positioned to deliver capabilities already tested by some of the world’s most sophisticated militaries under the most demanding battlefield conditions,” said UFORCE CEO Oleg Rogynskyy.
“Working with RECONCRAFT, we will help ensure these proven autonomous capabilities become available to the US It’s exactly the kind of industrial partnership the Arsenal of Democracy is designed to enable,” added Sean Plankey, CEO of UFORCE USA.
MAGURA drones have already attracted international interest beyond Ukraine. In April 2026, the combat-proven unmanned surface vessels were used during the US-Philippines Balikatan military exercise, where they sank a target ship in a live-fire demonstration in the Luzon Strait, marking the platform’s Indo-Pacific debut.
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