The United States is seeking access to Ukrainian drone technology and intellectual property rights as part of a proposed defense cooperation agreement currently awaiting high-level political approval, Bloomberg reported on Tuesday, May 19.
According to the outlet, citing a person familiar with the discussions, the US Department of Defense wants to test a range of Ukrainian military products, including drones and electronic warfare systems, as Washington considers potential purchases for military use.
The Pentagon is also interested in gaining access to key technologies and potentially intellectual property rights that would allow the US to replicate Ukrainian systems domestically.
The agreement has not yet been finalized.
Pentagon interested in battle-tested Ukrainian systems
According to Bloomberg, US interest reflects growing recognition of Ukraine’s battlefield drone expertise developed during more than four years of war against Russia.
Ukraine has used drones and electronic warfare technologies to strike deep inside Russian territory, slow Russian advances and target energy infrastructure supporting Moscow’s war effort.
During negotiations, Ukrainian officials reportedly argued that their systems have already been tested extensively in combat conditions, while Washington wants to evaluate them independently with US forces before moving forward.
Earlier this month, the US reportedly sent Kyiv a draft letter of intent requesting tests of Ukrainian military technologies, with potential contracts possible afterward.
Ukrainian Ambassador to the US Olha Stefanishyna confirmed that a draft framework document is currently under review by both sides.
“We are committed to mutually beneficial cooperation that will enhance the strength of our armed forces,” Stefanishyna said in a statement cited by Bloomberg.
US military studying Ukraine’s drone warfare experience
According to the report, the Pentagon is particularly interested in technologies developed by Ukraine during the war, including AI-enabled targeting systems, GPS-resistant navigation, jam-resistant communications and battlefield drone coordination systems.
US Army Secretary Dan Driscoll recently praised Ukraine’s integrated drone operating system during testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
“It fully integrates every single drone, every sensor, and every shooting platform into just one single network,” Driscoll said. “Ours does not.”
The US military may use Ukrainian systems both for direct procurement and as benchmarks for future American drone programs. Ukraine has also reportedly been offering military expertise and interceptor drone technologies to the US and Gulf allies in exchange for additional air defense systems, including Patriot missiles.
On April 22, Reuters reported that the US military began using Ukrainian-developed anti-drone technology at a key US air base in Saudi Arabia. The Sky Map technology platform has been deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base, information that had not previously been publicly disclosed.
Ukrainian military personnel traveled to the base in the past month to train US forces in operating the system, which integrates data from radars and sensors into a single dashboard displaying maps and live video feeds to identify incoming threats.
The system was developed and refined during Russia’s war against Ukraine and is widely used by Ukrainian forces to detect and counter drone threats, including Iran-designed Shahed drones.
The latest memorandum also comes amid reports that Moscow was preparing to supply Iran with thousands of advanced drones and train Iranian forces to use them against US and allied forces in the Persian Gulf