Ukraine just sent 2,000 attack drones to America, and the Pentagon's next drone phase is already underway | Tech Radar
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US bought 2000 F-Drones F10 attack UAVs from Ukraine as the Pentagon moves to the next phase of the billion-dollar 'drone dominance' program, with the legacy US military-industrial complex cautiously looking
American drone sourcing moves beyond traditional domestic defence suppliers
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Pentagon receives 2,000 Ukrainian attack drones after landmark export approval
Ukraine completes first official export of fully assembled combat drones
F10 drone secures Pentagon contract after strong Gauntlet I performance
The United States has taken delivery of 2,000 Ukrainian F10 attack drones after manufacturer F-Drones secured a Pentagon contract during the opening phase of the Drone Dominance program.
The shipment follows Ukraine's first official export permit for completed combat drones, marking a notable change from earlier approvals covering mainly technologies, components, or accessories.
The delivery also comes as the Pentagon advances the next stage of its broader $1.1 billion Drone Dominance initiative aimed at expanding domestic and allied unmanned capabilities.
Ukraine grants its first export permit for finished combat drones
Ukraine's State Service for Export Control issued the permit on July 1 2026, clearing F-Drones to send a batch of F10 units across the border into American territory.
A company representative said the permit had already taken effect, with the drones crossing that border soon after approval was granted.
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F-Drones noted this approval arrived before new government measures simplifying military exports under martial law had formally taken effect.
The company completed the full approval cycle under the export control mechanism that was already in place at the time.
That process required a positive decision from the interdepartmental commission overseeing military-technical cooperation and export policy matters.
State-owned company Spetstechnoexport accompanied the entire procedure, from initial review through to final sign-off.
Previous Ukrainian export decisions had typically involved individual components or subsystems rather than complete, combat-ready drone systems shipped in bulk.
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This shift suggests Ukrainian officials now view finished drone exports as both commercially valuable and diplomatically useful for deepening ties with Washington.
UDD Tech Corp's path to winning the Pentagon contract
American firm UDD Tech Corp, which represents F-Drones products in the United States, entered the programme's first phase known as Gauntlet I.
Testing took place at Fort Benning in Georgia in February 2026, involving 25 competing drone systems from multiple manufacturers.
The F10 system finished sixth among those 25 competitors and secured a place among 11 total programme winners.
That result brought the contract to supply 2,000 drones to the U. S. Department of War directly.
UDD Tech Corp also earned selection to continue into the programme's next competitive phase going forward.
The Drone Dominance initiative itself is designed to accelerate American access to low-cost, combat-tested unmanned systems developed outside traditional domestic supply chains.
Established American defence contractors have reportedly watched the programme with some caution, given the scale of foreign competition it now permits.
This deal signals a shift toward foreign-made hardware entering a Pentagon pipeline long dominated by established American defence contractors nationwide.
Whether that shift continues at scale, or remains a single contract, is not yet clear from information currently available publicly.
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Efosa has been writing about technology for over 7 years, initially driven by curiosity but now fueled by a strong passion for the field. He holds both a Master's and a Ph D in sciences, which provided him with a solid foundation in analytical thinking.
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