With a high production capacity and great adaptability on the ground between the different units, Ukraine has become one of the main powers in the “drone war”. So much so that it is exporting its expertise to other countries, which are not yet accustomed to effectively countering its devices.
The Middle East has been ablaze for over a month. This war between the United States and Israel against Iran confirms one thing: the central role of drones in modern conflicts.
Caught in the crossfire, Gulf countries have faced numerous Iranian attacks, not only in short supply of ballistic missiles but especially drones. Cheap and easy to produce, the Shahed drones are, however, expensive to intercept, requiring several anti-aircraft missiles for sometimes limited effectiveness.
Yet, countries in the region have been able to rely on a new ally, well aware of this “drone war”: Ukraine. Last week, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed defense agreements with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates after deploying Ukrainian military experts to help counter Iranian attacks.
Leveraging its experience with drones and a booming arms industry, Ukraine now emerges in the region not only as a beneficiary but as a supplier.
The ongoing war in Ukraine, which has lasted for over 1,500 days, has indeed solidified drones as the central weapon in modern conflicts. According to the Kiev School of Economics (KSE), they account for 80-85% of frontline strikes in 2025, with more than 215,000 attacks in a year, “driven by a national ecosystem promoting rapid and low-cost innovation.”
Capable of producing up to “10 million” drones per year, Ukraine has established itself as a true “drone state,” developing its own military technologies in communication, navigation, and autonomy. This rapid evolution, driven by electronic warfare and new realities of the field, creates a gap with countries like the United States, still hindered by heavier procedures.
Specializing in military matters, Defense One notes that the Ukrainian drone ecosystem has materialized a theory formulated by US Air Force Colonel John Boyd in the 1970s and 1980s, which until now had been largely inapplicable. This system links observation, analysis, decision, and action on a large scale, with a very rapid exchange of information between the field and production, almost faster than in any other comparable model.
Context: The article discusses Ukraine’s role in the “drone war” and its increasing expertise and production capacity in the field of drones.
Fact Check: The content accurately presents the ongoing conflict in the Middle East and Ukraine’s efforts to supply drone technology to other countries facing similar threats.
