Exclusive: US turns to Ukrainian counter-drone tech after Iran ...
AI Analysis
The U.S. military has deployed Ukrainian Sky Map counter-drone technology at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia to address drone threats, highlighting gaps in U.S. air defense. Ukrainian officials are training U.S. personnel on this system, which is effective against Iranian Shahed drones.
Key Takeaways
- Ukrainian Sky Map platform deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base.
- U.S. air defenses face longstanding gaps, prompting new technology adoption.
- Sky Map is used to detect and counter drone threats, including Iranian Shahed drones.
- The Pentagon has committed $350 million to enhance counter-drone defenses.
- RTX Coyote interceptors and Northrop Grumman FAAD are also in use at the base.
Why It Matters
The deployment of Ukrainian technology signifies a strategic shift in U.S. defense tactics, leveraging battle-tested systems from Ukraine's conflict with Russia. This move underscores the urgency to address vulnerabilities in U.S. air and missile defenses, especially in regions close to adversaries like Iran.
Exclusive: US turns to Ukrainian counter-drone tech after Iran attacks, sources say | Reuters
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A damaged U.S. Boeing E-3 Sentry airborne warning and control aircraft following an Iranian strike on the airbase, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi... Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab Read more
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Summary
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Companies
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Ukrainian Sky Map software platform deployed at Prince Sultan Air Base to counter drone threats
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US air defenses face longstanding gaps, analysts say, prompting adoption of new technologies
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Base uses multiple systems including Northrop Grumman FAAD and RTX Coyote interceptors, sources say
NEW YORK, April 22 (Reuters) - The U.S. military has introduced Ukrainian counter-drone technology in recent weeks at a key U.S. air base in Saudi Arabia, according to five people with knowledge of the matter, as it seeks to stem attacks that have destroyed aircraft and buildings, and killed at least one service member.
The deployment of a Ukrainian command-and-control platform called Sky Map at Prince Sultan Air Base, which has not previously been reported, is a sign of how Ukraine’s military has surged ahead in drone and counter-drone technologies that have been battle-hardened in its four-year war with Russia.
Ukrainian military officials arrived at the base in recent weeks to train U.S. warfighters with Sky Map, which is used widely by the Ukrainian military to detect incoming drone threats – including Iranian-developed Shahed drones – and launch counter-attacks with interceptor drones.
As cheap, mass-produced drones play a large role in Russia's war in Ukraine, the Pentagon has ramped up investments in counter-drone technology. But the use of Ukrainian technology at Prince Sultan, which is about 400 miles (640 kilometers) from Iran and has endured waves of drones and missiles since the war began, highlights vulnerabilities in U.S. air and missile defense, analysts say.
“There's been longstanding gaps in U.S. air missile defense coverage around the world,” said Timothy Walton, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Hudson Institute think tank. “This has been well understood. However, it hasn't been addressed.”
'DON'T NEED THEIR HELP'
The development comes a month after President Donald Trump publicly rejected an offer from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to provide help in combating Iranian drone strikes. “We don't need their help in drone defense,” Trump told Fox News on March 6.
The White House and the Pentagon directed questions to U.S. Central Command, which oversees Prince Sultan. Central Command declined to comment.
Sky Fortress, the Ukrainian company that owns Sky Map, declined to comment. Zelenskiy’s office did not respond to a comment request.
Last month, the Pentagon’s counter-drone unit announced, opens new tab it had committed $350 million to bolster defenses a