Ukraine has found ways to get tens of thousands of drones as well as drone parts from China.
The military is using off-the-shelf Chinese drones, primarily from SZ DJI Technology.
Ukraine has also developed a domestic drone industry that relies on Chinese components. Ukrainian factories are churning out hundreds of thousands of small, cheap drones that can carry explosives. It also produces larger drones that can strike deep into enemy territory and reach Russian ships on the Black Sea.
Dubynskyi said Ukraine wants to test and use more U.S. drones. “Nevertheless, we are looking for cost-effective solutions,” he said.
Ukrainian forces are burning through about 10,000 drones a month, which they couldn’t afford if they had to buy expensive U.S. drones. Many American commercial drones cost tens of thousands of dollars more each than a Chinese model.
The Switchblades faced initial challenges with Russia’s electronic-warfare systems, according to a former U.S. soldier who worked with the drones in Ukraine.
China’s DJI has proven to be the go-to drone brand for Ukraine’s military. DJI said in a statement that it tries to restrict the use of its drones in the war but can’t control how the drones are used after they are purchased.
“DJI absolutely deplores and condemns the use of its products to cause harm anywhere in the world,” the statement said.
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