Exclusive: US turns to Ukrainian counter-drone tech after Iran attacks, sources say

Source: Reuters

April 22, 2026 6:03 AM EDT Updated 10 hours ago


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.”

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/us-turns-ukrainian-counter-drone-tech-after-iran-attacks-sources-say-2026-04-22/