Ukrainian drone boat deal to build in US could be ‘one of the most consequential partnerships’

The Ukrainian company responsible for developing and manufacturing an autonomous drone boat used to sink several Russian navy warships has agreed to a deal with an American company to produce them in the United States for the U.S. military.UFORCE produces the family of Magura drone boats, formally known as unmanned surface vessels, and it has become “one of the most capable platforms for [Ukraine’s] naval dominance of the Black Sea,” Sean Plankey, the company’s Chief Executive Officer for the U.S., told the Washington Examiner.Ukrainian forces have used Magura drone boats to sink more than a dozen Russian warships and to shoot down Russian aircraft and helicopters as well. Between Ukraine’s use of the Magura USV and other drone boats, they have forced much larger and more expensive Russian warships to retreat from the Black Sea. They’ve also hit oil tankers and bridges. The company came to a deal earlier this month with ReconCraft, an American-based boat manufacturer, to produce these vessels domestically. ReconCraft’s primary manufacturing facility is located in Portland, Oregon.Plankey called the agreement “possibly one of the most consequential partnerships for the security of Western allies in the United States.”Magura drone boat. Photo courtesy of UFORCE The Magura family of autonomous boats ranges in size and capability, though generally they are 20 to 25 feet in length and can sail up to 800 nautical miles. One of them, the Magura MV7, has drones contained within the vessel that can be activated and take off from the vessel itself. Other variations include putting explosives on the USV so that operators can drive it directly into a target, such as a warship, while another can carry AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles.ReconCraft will only manufacture the boats, not the drones contained within.Ukraine has been on the cutting edge of defense and technological innovation since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and it has been most prominent in the area of autonomous systems, with the government empowering start-ups to develop new systems as quickly as possible. The systems and weapons are then tested on the battlefield, allowing Ukrainian service members to provide feedback to the defense companies that produced the equipment.“The war in Ukraine has proven that their Department of Defense equivalent has offered a proven methodology that they’re building, they’re iterating and fielding systems at a speed that’s unique, what we are terming combat speed,” Plankey said. “It’s a lot faster than the typical Department of War United States cycle of development, and so these iterations have really created battle-proven platforms that will really help American defense.”The deal between UFORCE and ReconCraft is the first of what could be many agreements between U.S. and Ukrainian defense companies.The two sides have publicly discussed a deal for Ukraine to share some of its drone developments with the U.S. for months. Alternatively, the Ukrainians would seek U.S. support for more sophisticated and expensive air defense systems that they have not been able to produce themselves.During the NATO Summit earlier this month in Ankara, Turkey, President Donald Trump announced alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky that he had agreed to approve a license for Ukraine to produce its own Patriot missile interceptors.The Patriot Missile Defense System is a highly effective and expensive mobile surface-to-air missile and air defense system that is designed to intercept ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, advanced aircraft, and other threats. Knowing that Ukraine has very limited patriot missile interceptors and has to be strategic in deploying them, Russia continues to use ballistic missiles in its air campaign to reduce the chance that Ukraine can stop the incoming missiles.Trump and Zelensky met in person for the first time since then on Tuesday as the Ukrainian president traveled to Washington, D.C., for the memorial service for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who was an ardent Ukraine supporter.“Thank you for everything we do together to protect the lives of Ukrainians and advance peace,” Zelensky said on social media after the conclusion of their meeting in the Oval Office. “First and foremost, I offered President Trump our condolences on the passing of Lindsey Graham. He was a true friend of Ukraine. The President and I discussed licenses for Patriot interceptor production and several other ideas that could help. We also spoke about diplomacy – it’s important that the diplomatic process be reinvigorated.”A senior Ukrainian source told the foreign press pool that the meeting was “very practical” and they’ve discussed “renewed diplomatic efforts.”TRUMP TO TELL ZELENSKY IT’S ‘TIME TO END THE WAR’The Pentagon, under Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, has adopted a similar mentality of encouraging smaller and newer defense contractors to pursue capabilities and contracts as they seek to expand and further develop autonomous capabilities.The U.S. military has used new autonomous systems during the war in Iran. U.S. forces used the Low-Cost Unmanned Combat Attack System, or LUCAS drone, which a reversed engineered one-way drone that mimics the Iranians’ Shahed-136 drone, they relied on an American-produced USV from Saronic to rescue two Army apache helicopter pilots who had to make an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea last month and they later used that same platform to hit a submarine and ship maintenance facility at the port at Bandar Abbas Naval Base.