Drone technology is developing rapidly in the Ukraine war, with drones costing just $700 to attack Russian troops

Two years have passed since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Ukraine, which is at a disadvantage in terms of funds and military power compared to Russia and must find some way to outwit Russia, is rapidly developing drone technology, and it seems that by the time foreign drones are imported, they will be outdated.

The Ukraine war is driving rapid innovation in drone technology

This was reported by Tim Mack, a war correspondent reporting from Ukraine.

'The United States is developing some of the most advanced drones in the world, but Ukraine does not have the financial resources to purchase such expensive drones,' said Alexander Chernyavsky, head of the local charity Free in Spirit. 'Ukraine has made a great achievement in the field of drones by developing effective weapons using the cheapest components.'

Chernyavsky and his team have been supporting both civilians and military personnel since 2022 and are building a drone factory to meet demand.

The Ukrainian new drone manufacturer sources parts from China, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and Malaysia, with a focus on frames made in Poland, antennas made in Canada, and flight controllers made in Ukraine. Parts that are unavailable are made in-house using a 3D printer.

Technological innovation on the battlefield is so rapid that foreign-made drones are outdated by the time they arrive in Ukraine.

For example, at the beginning of the war, the Turkish-made Bayraktar drones, which Ukraine purchased for $5 million each, contributed to the defense of Kyiv.

BAYKAR Technology | Bayraktar TB2

However, within a few months, the massive Bayraktar, with its 6.5m length and 12m wingspan, had become a prime target for Russian anti-aircraft attacks, leading to the introduction of smaller FPV drones.

Meanwhile, Russia has launched jamming attacks to prevent the drones from being controlled, and Ukraine has responded by using frequency hopping modems to circumvent the jamming.

'The pace of innovation is not driven by deadlines or company stock prices, but because we have to develop new technology or we'll die,' Mack said.

Mikhailo, an engineer who is part of the technological revolution, has modified drones with a range of 5 to 7 km to fly 22 km. While a commercially available Chinese drone costs $4,500, the Ukrainian engineers have built a drone for just $450, and it is capable of destroying or neutralizing Russian weapons worth millions of yen.

The factory where Mikhailo works has 36 employees working six days a week, and has a monthly production capacity of 10,000 drones, but actually produces only 3,000 a month. The reason is that the Ukrainian government does not accept prepayments for orders, so the factory must first prepare the funds to produce drones.

'Russia is also working on drone production, and in six months they will have a production capacity greater than ours. That's why we need more funding,' Mikhailo said.

Also, half of the world's dozens of autonomous drone manufacturers are in Ukraine, said Francisco Serra-Martins, CEO of Kyiv-based aviation weapons manufacturer

Some may be concerned about the fact that autonomous drones have the ability to kill without human decision-making, but Serra-Martins said, 'This is less frightening than an infantryman fighting without a proper long-range anti-tank system or against an enemy five times his size,' predicting that in the future, 'it will mostly be machines killing other machines.'

Autonomous drones do not require a pilot to control them, making them immune to Russian jamming attacks.

'By removing the human element, we can significantly reduce friendly fire and civilian casualties,' said Serra- Martins. 'It would be counterproductive for us to think too deeply about autonomous drones. Drones don't think, 'Should I invade another country?' or 'Should I rape and rob them?'' he said. 'We've already crossed the Rubicon . We can't sit back and watch as Russia innovates in this field.'