The Technology section is published with the support of Favbet Tech
American drones from Silicon Valley company Skydio performed poorly in the war in Ukraine — They are expensive to manufacture and repair, but they constantly fail due to Russian electronic warfare.
WSJ collected comments from Skydio representatives, military and officials.
Most of the small drones developed by American startups have failed in combat conditions. And we're not just talking about Skydio.
American-made drones tend to be expensive, fragile and difficult to repair, company executives, Ukrainian military officials, officials and former US defense officials told the publication.
Skydio admits this. The company's CEO says American drones don't perform as well as other systems, and that's a general summary.
It is worth noting that almost 300 American UAV companies have attracted about $2.5 billion in investment over the past two years.
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But representatives of the Ukrainian government told the WSJ that:
- American-made drones are fragile;
- unable to overcome Russian jamming and GPS shutdown technology;
- sometimes could not take off, complete missions or return;
- often do not fly at the distances stated by manufacturers;
- do not carry significant payload.
DJI – in favor. But the company itself is against war
Therefore, Ukraine gave preference to cheaper Chinese products, primarily those produced by SZ DJI Technology.
WSJ also notes that Ukraine has also developed a domestic drone industry that relies on Chinese components. Ukrainian factories produce hundreds of thousands of small, cheap drones that can carry explosives.
Interestingly, DJI itself has stated that it is trying to limit the use of drones during war. But can't control sales.
“DJI strongly condemns the use of its products to cause harm anywhere in the world,” it said in a statement.
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The United States considers DJI a company that is somehow controlled by the Chinese authorities. DJI denies this.
That's why the Pentagon banned DJI drones from the US Army. At the same time, there are restrictions on Chinese components, which makes production more expensive.
What's next?
WSJ says Ukraine has now requested thousands of new Skydio X10 drones.
They can switch frequencies on their own once the signal is jammed
Have better navigation capabilities, so they can fly at high altitudes without GPS.
“It is imperative for Skydio, and I think for the US drone industry, that the X10 succeed on the battlefield in Ukraine. There is no alternative,” summarized the CEO of Skydio.
The Technology section is published with the support of Favbet Tech
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