American company ReconCraft will begin licensed production of Ukrainian Magura naval drones, The Wall Street Journal reports. It is the first agreement to manufacture such vessels in the United States.
ReconCraft specializes in building boats for U.S. special-operations forces. The company initially expects to produce several hundred drones a year, later increasing output to several thousand. The value of the contract has not been disclosed.
Magura’s developer, the Ukrainian company Uforce, will give its American partners access to the software and technology used to operate the vessels.
The Magura is an unmanned vessel capable of launching aerial drones, conducting mine-countermeasure operations and detecting underwater objects. Each vessel can cost as much as $500,000.
Ukrainian military intelligence has said Magura drones were used to shoot down Russian helicopters and sink several warships.
The agreement is part of an expanding exchange of defense technology between Ukraine and its Western allies. In early July, Donald Trump pledged to grant Kyiv a license to manufacture missiles for Patriot systems.
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