Hundreds of the best UAVs of the American company Skydio turned out to be not very suitable in the conditions of the criminal war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.
Why are American UAVs not suitable for the Ukrainian military at the front
According to the journalists of the publication, American drones constantly strayed from their course and became targets for electronic warfare systems of the occupation army of the Russian Federation.
It is noted that most of the drones developed by start-ups from the USA for the Ukrainian military turned out to be ineffective.
The authors of the article emphasize that this is also bad news for the US military, which needs the supply of thousands of small drones.
U.S. drones have proven to be very expensive, prone to malfunctions, and difficult to repair, according to U.S. manufacturing company executives, Ukrainian military personnel on the front lines, government officials and former U.S. officials.
Lacking solutions in the West, Ukraine turned to cheaper Chinese products to replenish its arsenal of drones.
Skydio CEO Adam Bry admitted that his drones have proved useless.
Journalists regarding Ukrainian officials note that American-made UAVs turned out to be fragile and unable to bypass the EW systems of the occupation army of the Russian Federation.
It is noted that in some cases, UAVs received by Ukraine from the USA could not even take off, failed to complete missions or did not return.
American drones often cannot fly the claimed distances or carry a significant payload.
The heads of American companies producing drones said that the deployment of EW in Ukraine surprised them.
How Ukraine solved the problem with incapacitated American UAVs
However, the Armed Forces found ways to get a large number of drones, as well as spare parts for them, from China.
The military uses ready-made Chinese drones, mainly from SZ DJI Technology.
The authors of the material also note that Ukraine launched its production of UAVs using Chinese components.
Ukrainian factories produce hundreds of thousands of small, cheap drones that can carry explosives.
It also produces larger drones that can strike deep into Russian territory and attack Russian ships in the Black Sea.
The Armed Forces spend about 10,000 drones a month, and they would not be able to do this if they were forced to buy expensive American drones.
