Ukraine’s battlefield tech draws Europe despite wartime limits

European countries are increasingly striking joint production deals with Ukraine, particularly in the drone sector, as Kyiv’s ability to rapidly produce affordable battlefield hardware improves.

The latest such announcement was made this week when Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk said Kyiv will help Warsaw build the country’s new drone fleet, although he did not outline the size of the future fleet.

These joint production deals allow European companies to access Ukrainian technology, which has been tested in active combat. Ukrainian manufacturers offer battlefield data, providing “feedback from an actual user on the frontlines,” Linus Terhorst, research fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, said.

This expertise is especially relevant in what Terhorst described as the “mass segment” — the rapid deployment of low-cost systems at scale. Ukrainian companies can provide key know-how in the software component of the production chain, particularly in integrating…