In a forest in the Kyiv region, 35-year-old engineer Andriy Tchornim takes shelter under the trunk of a navy blue 4x4. Eyes locked on the screen of his joystick, he pays no attention to the torrential rain lashing his face in heavy gusts.

By contrast, shorter-range U.S. drones such as the Switchblade 600 are estimated to cost more than $100,000 per unit, and longer-range U.S. drones can cost millions. Ukrainian drone operators report that U.S.-made drones have been less effective, reliable, and rapidly adaptable to Russian countermeasures than those produced inside Ukraine.

The Russians have fired thousands of Iranian-designed, 11-foot-long Shahed drones into Ukraine, while the Ukrainians have built their own long-range drones that can attack targets over 700 miles away.

Recent video from the Ukraine frontline shows a Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) dropping a homemade incendiary device onto a building occupied by Russian forces. The improvised bomb consists of an aircraft flare surrounded by four bottles of gasoline, creating a highly effective incendiary weapon that ignited intense flames upon impact.

The AI drone revolution isn't here yet, but Ukraine and Russia are laying the groundwork in battle. Chris Panella. Mon, June 9, 2025 at 8:36 PM UTC. 5 min read.

Anduril Industries builds ‘attritable’ aircraft like autonomous fighter jets, which are cheaper to lose than regular airplanes.

The drone revolution started out of desperation and the dearth of shells, with Ukrainian volunteers operating cheap “marriage drones.” On February 23, 2022, they were civilian photographers ...

Offensive drones have had a brief window of domination. But it was only a matter of time before effective counter-drone capabilities emerged.

From November through May, Ukraine has trained 10,000 drone pilots, and another 10,000 pilots are being trained right now, according to Ukraine's minister of digital transformation, Mykhailo Fedorov.