Pentagon interested in Ukrainian tech for controlling AI drone swarms, Forbes reports
Photo: The Pentagon integrates Ukrainian swarming technology into its UAV program (Getty Images)
An American drone manufacturer, Powerus, and the Ukrainian company Swarmer have teamed up to supply the Pentagon with drones featuring swarm-control technology, according to Forbes.
Drone swarms for the US Army
According to the outlet, the companies are participating in the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance Program, which aims to rapidly scale up the production of low-cost FPV strike drones. Swarming technology will allow a single operator to control multiple drones simultaneously.
"Swarming is a force multiplier. It’s not about taking the human out of the loop," said Powerus President Brett Velicovich.
The United States currently produces around 50,000 drones per year, while operational demands require a shift toward million-unit production levels already seen in Ukraine and Russia.
Cost and Pentagon standards
The US Department of Defense has set a maximum price of $5,000 per competitive drone. In Ukraine, volunteer FPV drones cost less than $500, but US standards are significantly stricter.
They require the elimination of Chinese components, account for higher labor costs, and include electronics certification requirements for warheads.
However, Powerus considers the price generous and believes these incentives will help revive the US drone industrial base.
The company has already secured $30 million in investment and is integrating artificial intelligence features into its systems for autonomous flight.
What has already been tested in Ukraine
The company previously demonstrated its Guardian-1 interceptor drones, which are already being used on the Ukrainian battlefield.
A key feature of the tests was the remote launch of drones directly from a container mounted on a robotic boat.
How drone diplomacy is being launched
The Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers recently approved a resolution that, for the first time since the start of the war, opens exports of Ukrainian weapons. The new simplified Fast Track mechanism allows Ukraine’s defense industry to supply weapons to partner countries through an accelerated procedure, reducing application review times threefold—from 90 to 30 days.
This step is part of a drone diplomacy strategy, under which Kyiv is concluding special agreements in the field of unmanned technologies—so-called Drone Deals. Around 20 countries are currently interested in such cooperation, and Lithuania has become the first European country to legally formalize such an agreement.
Negotiations are also ongoing on a large-scale Drone Deal with the United States. Ukraine has proposed a five-year agreement worth $50 billion, which envisions producing up to 10 million drones per year in exchange for investment and arms procurement. More details are available in the RBC-Ukraine report.
