Ukraine's low-cost drones draw US, Gulf interest, but wartime ban blocks sales
Source: ABC News/AP
March 7, 2026, 8:16 AM
KYIV, Ukraine -- As the war in the Middle East strains U.S. missile stocks, Ukraine is hoping it can turn a wartime innovation — low-cost interceptors designed to shoot down Russian attack drones — into geopolitical leverage. Now one of the world's leading producers of interceptors, Ukraine is offering that expertise to the United States and its Gulf partners for the war in the Middle East, hoping to receive in return the high-end weaponry it can’t manufacture at home.
When Russia launched its full-scale invasion four years ago, Ukraine’s domestic arms industry was poor. Forced to innovate to survive, it has since built a fast-growing defense sector centered on low-cost drones — some designed specifically to counter Iranian-style Shahed drones of the kind that Russia now launches by the hundreds.
The U.S. recently requested “specific support” against Iranian-designed Shaheds in the Middle East, prompting Zelenskyy to order the deployment of Ukrainian equipment and experts, though details remain classified. When the war in Ukraine began in 2022, Kyiv banned weapons exports. But now Ukrainian manufacturers of low-cost interceptor drones say they are receiving interest from the United States and Gulf states.
While other countries can build interceptor drones, Ukraine has the only mass-produced system already tested in war, Oleh Katkov, editor-in-chief of Defense Express said. “There is a huge difference between a mass-produced system proven to work in real combat and something others only promise to develop ... It’s like selling the house, not just the bricks,” he said. If cooperation with partners succeeds, Ukraine could emerge as a new player in modern warfare, though it remains unclear whether its industry can scale up to meet that ambition or expand into global markets without compromising its own defense.
Read more: https://abcnews.com/International/wireStory/ukraines-low-cost-shahed-killers-draw-us-gulf-130852955
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