Since Operation Epic Fury began in late February, Ukraine has deployed drone-intercept experts and advanced electronic warfare systems across the Middle East to assist America and its partners. After four years of countering Iranian attack drones in demanding battlefield conditions, Ukraine has developed unmatched expertise that Kyiv is now eager to share.
By allocating its resources to protect U.S. forces and partners abroad, Kyiv is once again demonstrating that it is a model ally. Congress should take note, continue to support America’s partnership with Ukraine, and invest further in Kyiv’s military capabilities.
The strategic value of continuing to invest in Ukraine’s military capabilities is clear. FDD Senior Fellow RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery explains that Ukraine’s advanced drone technology and battlefield experience against Iranian systems are a source of immense potential for U.S. and allied operations in the Middle East.
Ukraine has already confronted the exact challenges that U.S. partners in the Gulf now face, and it has done so in live combat, rather than in simulations or tests. Kyiv’s engineers and operators have developed and perfected advanced interception techniques, electronic spoofing countermeasures, and integrated air defense systems. Last month, Ukrainian interceptor drones destroyed more than 70 percent of incoming Shaheds over Kyiv. These interceptor drones cost just $3,000 to $5,000, compared to the more than $3 million per Patriot missile that the U.S. has used to intercept Iranian drones.
Critics of U.S. support for Ukraine have misrepresented the nation as solely a beneficiary of American support, rather than as a valuable partner advancing shared interests. They have framed the debate as a zero-sum choice between aiding Ukraine and protecting other American interests.
Ukraine’s deployment in the Middle East flips that argument on its head. Ukraine is not a drain on U.S. interests. To the contrary, it is advancing them by providing defense expertise and capabilities vital to U.S. operations in Iran while reducing demands on U.S. forces and pricier weapons systems.
Ukraine’s value as a strategic partner extends beyond the Middle East.
Ukrainian companies are now producing drones without any Chinese components. One of them has now reportedly won a U.S. military contract as part of the Pentagon’s “UAV superiority” program, which seeks to field thousands of low-cost strike drones. The company’s success in localizing its supply chain and producing “China-free” drones appears to be largely responsible for its selection.
Ukraine’s journey shows how countries, including the United States, can pivot away from a Chinese-dominated supply chain. In 2022, 99 percent of the drones Ukraine procured were imported, with 97 percent of those imports coming from China. By 2024, the Ministry of Defense reported that 95 percent of unmanned aircraft systems supplied were assembled domestically.
China’s control over 70 to 90 percent of the global commercial drone market leaves the United States strategically vulnerable to sabotage and export controls. Beijing already demonstrated its willingness to weaponize its market dominance when it imposed export controls on its drones in 2023 and 2024.
Each Ukrainian innovation that reduces reliance on Chinese drones and components offers valuable lessons for U.S. industry and supports America’s defense supply chain security.
Given Ukraine’s contributions to U.S. military capabilities, Washington should adopt a more effective investment strategy, modeled on Denmark’s approach.
The “Danish Model” focuses on direct investment in Ukraine’s defense industry. Denmark has provided funding and expertise to help Ukraine produce its own weapons, especially drones and artillery ammunition.
The results are tangible. The Danish Model significantly increased production of the Bohdana, Ukraine’s NATO-standard self-propelled howitzer. Output rose from six units per month in 2023 to over twenty by 2025. At $2.8 million per unit, compared to at least $6 million for similar European systems, the Bohdana offers greater firepower per dollar than most Western alternatives. With the Danish Model, weapons like the Bohdana can reach Ukrainian soldiers in just two months, instead of years.
This model offers clear advantages that the United States should consider, in addition to its continued provision of more traditional military aid. Investing in Ukrainian production builds a self-sustaining defense industry for the long term. According to the CEO of Ukraine’s National Association of Defense Industries, Ukrainian manufacturers have the capacity to produce at least three times more than current funding allows. Additional allied investment could be leveraged for greater impact.
Thankfully, this defense industry cooperation is progressing at scale. Recent congressional testimony to the U.S. Helsinki Commission shows that Europe and Ukraine are jointly overhauling defense supply chains, shifting from emergency procurement to long-term co-production. The impact of this transformation will extend long beyond the current conflict.
The benefits to U.S. national security of leaning into the Danish Model are clear.
A stronger Ukrainian defense industry reduces pressure on American weapons stockpiles. Each Shahed drone intercepted by Ukrainian-built systems lessens demand on U.S. Patriot batteries and other inventories.
It could also compensate for gaps in the U.S. defense industry. As the Pentagon struggles to develop domestic drone production without Chinese components, investing in the Ukrainian drone industry offers Washington a practical shortcut. Embracing the Danish Model would also guarantee Ukraine’s combat-tested innovations in UAV swarms, electronic warfare, and drone countermeasures better inform U.S. production.
Investing in Ukraine’s defense industry can also create opportunities for Ukrainian companies to establish factories and create jobs in the United States, as they are already doing in Europe. Ukrspecsystems recently opened the first Ukrainian defense factory in the United Kingdom, and SkyFall is in discussions to establish Vampire UAV production in Denmark. It is an opportunity to bring proven manufacturing capability, skilled engineers, and high-value employment to American communities.
Ukraine is not merely a recipient of Western charity. It is a model ally and vigorous contributor to the West’s defense architecture and military supply chain security.
Washington should embrace the Danish Model by committing to sustained investment in Ukrainian defense production, thereby deepening Ukraine’s capacity and benefiting the American people. Congress should authorize multi-year funding agreements linked to production benchmarks and back industrial co-investment. The administration, meanwhile, should advance this model by supporting technology-sharing arrangements that integrate Ukrainian innovation into U.S. and NATO procurement pipelines.
Deepening co-production and investment in Ukraine’s defense industry is a proven approach, and Ukraine’s successes and recent support of U.S. actions in the Middle East provide ample justification. The key question is whether Washington will have the strategic foresight to act.