On 1 July, the State Service of Export Control of Ukraine issued a permit for the export of a batch of F10 strike unmanned aerial systems manufactured by F-Drones for the needs of the U.S. Armed Forces. The manufacturer announced the news.
The permit was granted pursuant to a decision of the Interagency Commission on Military-Technical Cooperation and Export Control Policy.
This is the first known case of Ukraine officially authorizing the export of complete combat unmanned systems for the needs of the American military. It is also the first time the state has issued an export permit for finished Ukrainian-made unmanned aerial systems, rather than individual technologies or components.
The permit will allow the manufacturer to fulfill a contract under the U.S. Department of War’s Drone Dominance program.
In February of this year, the American company UDD Tech Corp, which represents F-Drones’ products in the United States, took part in the program’s first stage. The F10 system placed sixth among 25 participants, entered the group of eleven winners, and secured a contract to supply 2,000 drones to the U.S. Department of War. The company has also been selected for the program’s next stage.
Notably, the permit was issued before the new Cabinet of Ministers resolutions on simplifying defense exports under martial law came into force. In other words, the company completed the full approval cycle under the existing, significantly more complex export control mechanism.
“We are glad that Ukraine is opening up opportunities for drone exports. This is a strategically important step for the entire defense industry. Exports are a tool for scaling up production, attracting investment, advancing technology, raising quality standards, and strengthening international cooperation. It does not mean ‘less for the front line.’ On the contrary, a stronger industry means stronger Armed Forces. Exports today are the strength of Ukraine’s military tomorrow,” said F-Drones CEO Stas Khutor.
Thus, for the first time since the start of the full-scale war, Ukraine is not only receiving weapons from its allies but is also officially beginning to export its own combat unmanned systems to the army of one of its key strategic partners — the United States.