August 3, 2026: America has caught up in drone design and production. With the assistance of Ukrainian drone warfare veterans, the American Department of War is also establishing drones for use in the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines. Until the Ukraine War began four years ago, Chinese drones dominated the worldwide market. The Ukraine War, now in its fifth year, has made Ukrainian-designed, developed, and manufactured drones among the most powerful weapons in modern warfare.

American drones emerged because locally supplied drone components were found in the homeland. These included airframes, electronics, mechanical components, batteries, communications, navigation, video cameras, and payloads of sensors or explosives.

For Americans, the Ukraine War demonstrated to the world how one could succeed or fail using drones. Ukrainian soldiers and civilians invented drone warfare and continue improving drone technology, tactics, and techniques. The NATO countries that have been supporting Ukraine since 2014 send military and civilian personnel to Ukraine or pay to have Ukrainian drone experts come to them. Some NATO countries had diplomatic or military personnel working with the Ukrainians to keep current with Ukrainian drone developments. For example, one of the more interesting developments was the use of AI in drone targeting systems. The AI drone contains a targeting system that finds targets. The AI drone operator confirms which targets are real, and once a target is confirmed, the AI targeting system needs no further communication with anyone. It is resistant to all forms of jamming.

Modern warfare has been radically changed by the introduction of FPV/First Person View drones. These drones are an omnipresent aerial threat to armored vehicles and infantry on foot. Each FPV drone costs less than a thousand dollars. Operators use the drone's video camera to see what is below and find targets. Armed FPV operators are several kilometers away when deciding when their FPV drones will drop explosives on an armored vehicle, which has thinner armor on top, or on infantry in the open or in trenches. To do so, the drone operators often operate in pairs, with one flying behind the other and concentrating on the big picture while seeking a likely target. When the reconnaissance drone finds such a target, the armed drone is directed to it. The two FPV drone operators are usually in the same room or bunker and can take control of new drones, which are lined up and brought outside for launch when needed. The reconnaissance drones are often unarmed, so they can spend more time in the air searching for a target.

The Ukrainians developed the FPV drone in 2022, when only a few FPV drone attacks were recorded. The Ukrainian Army was the first to appreciate the potential of FPV drones. By the summer of 2023, the Russian Army also began to use FPV drones in greater numbers. Since then, the number of FPV drone attacks has grown exponentially on both sides. Only 12% of those attacks resulted in the destruction of the target, which could be a vehicle, a group of infantry, or even a sniper firing through a window from inside a building. In this case, the armed FPV drone would fly through the window and explode in the room the sniper was in. The only defense from this was having a nearby open door the sniper could run to or dive through as the FPV drone approached. Sometimes that isn’t possible because the armed FPV drone is coming down from above the window and then in. You don’t see those coming until it’s too late.

Over seven million drones are being built this year. The total for 2024 was 1.5 million drones. There have been problems. Chinese component producers are having a hard time keeping up, and, last year, to assist the Russians, China halted sending drone components to Ukraine. Suppliers in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere were quickly found. Nearly all Ukrainian drones are built entirely in Ukraine, and the rest are assembled from imported parts or as complete assemblies. Some Ukrainian firms have improvised by using plywood and similar materials for their drones. For FPV (First Person View) drones, cheaper is better if the drone can hit its first and only target. Most Ukrainian drones are FPV models, which are considered a form of ammunition.

Both sides now use FPV drones, but there are substantial differences in how they are used in combat. The Ukrainians seek out high-value targets like armored vehicles, electronic warfare equipment, anti-aircraft systems, and storage sites for munitions or other supplies. Russian trucks carrying supplies are another prime target.