Ukraine, US working on major deal that would allow Kyiv to export military technology and jointly produce UAVs - CBS News
The governments of Ukraine and the United States have drafted a memorandum of understanding for a new defense agreement that would allow Kyiv to export military technology to Washington and manufacture drones through joint ventures. CBS News reported this on Tuesday, May 12, citing its own sources.
Ukrainian officials first proposed the idea of cooperation in the UAV sector to the US in August 2025, after President Donald Trump privately praised Operation "Spiderweb." At that time, the Ukrainians struck military airfields deep behind enemy lines in russia, destroying several strategic bombers.
Unnamed Ukrainian officials told CBS News that cooperation between Ukraine and the US in the UAV sector will be mutually beneficial, as American funding will help both countries expand their defense production capacity.
Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) projects defense production to reach USD 55 billion by 2026. To realize this potential, Kyiv will need significantly more foreign funding, as it currently has funds to purchase only USD 15 billion worth of weapons this year.
Ukraine is making progress in the production of weapons systems that the US previously did not prioritize. CBS News notes that one Ukrainian manufacturer plans to build over 3 million FPV drones by the end of 2026. Last year, only 300,000 such drones were built in the US.
Ukraine is also developing innovative methods and equipment for electronic warfare. Technology developed by the Ukrainian company Sine Engineering allows drones to fly without GPS guidance to evade signal jamming. The company recently received a multimillion-dollar investment from the US-Ukraine Reconstruction Investment Fund.
Several Ukrainian companies have already presented their technologies in the US In March, General Cherry signed an agreement to manufacture drones in the US in partnership with the American defense contractor Wilcox Industries.
The US Department of Defense (the Pentagon) has also invited Ukrainian companies to participate in its Drone Dominance initiative. This USD 1.1 billion program aims to select UAVs for the US Army.
Sources speaking to CBS News note that a broader agreement with the US has faced political obstacles. Officials in Kyiv feel a lack of support from high-ranking officials in the White House and the Pentagon regarding the UAV deal, particularly since the start of the war in Iran.
As the Ukrainian News agency earlier reported, in March of this year, it became known that the Pentagon had selected 11 UAV suppliers for the US Army following the results of the Drone Dominance program. The Ukrainian company Ukrainian Defense Drones made the final list.
As a reminder, in late April, media outlets reported that US Army personnel had begun training for drone air combat, drawing on Ukraine’s experience in the war against russia.