TOKYO/TAIPEI: The CEO of UFORCE, a Ukrainian producer of attack drones, flew to Tokyo in April with a pitch for Japanese officials and defense contractors: build thousands of our drones to defend yourself and allies.
Days earlier, US troops had used waterborne UFORCE drones to sink a ship during a secretive exercise held where the South China Sea meets the Pacific. And for years, the firm’s Magura surface vessel has helped turn parts of the Black Sea into no-go zones for the Russian navy.
While the maritime geography of East Asia is very different, “the impact is extremely similar,” UFORCE CEO Oleg Rogynskyy told Reuters.
The details of UFORCE’s meetings in Japan have not been previously reported. They’re part of a larger push by Ukrainian drone makers to tap a military-spending surge in Asia by US allies eager to ward off an increasingly assertive China and deter a conflict over Taiwan, according to interviews with 20 people, including defense contractors and Ukrainian and Japanese government officials.
These defense contractors are seeking to capitalize on Ukraine’s reputation as a master of drone warfare, which has helped an otherwise-outgunned Kyiv hold out for more than four years against Russia.
