Should the Ukrainian model for UAS technology development be copied?
Ukraine has rapidly fielded many types of small UAS. (Photo: Ministry of Defence of Ukraine)
The country’s industrial defence transformation since 2022 has ramped up rapidly, offering Europe and NATO lessons in agility, innovation and rapid procurement. But how easily can, or should, such wartime innovation be copied?
The tendency to laud Ukraine’s rapid development of defence technology is well established. Many articles on the subject pay homage to the remarkable evolution from a 2022 base of virtually nothing to a 2025 rate of advance and output envied by many nations.
While most of Ukraine’s heavy equipment (aircraft, artillery, air defence) was from existing stocks or donated, much of the (often novel) mid-level tactical support capability has been home-grown. This has been particularly – but not only – true of the ubiquitous uncrewed aerial systems (UAS) segment.
This is a feat of staggering proportions. Government-industry-military relations have been
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