Ukrainian FPV giant signs deal to build drones in US
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One of Ukraine's largest drone makers, General Cherry, has signed a deal to produce unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in the U.S., the company said in a statement shared with the Kyiv Independent on March 30.
FPV (first-person view) drones and interceptor maker General Cherry reached an agreement with American military producer Wilcox Industries to build the latter's drones in the former's factories in New Hampshire.
"We are pleased to have the unique opportunity to build production together, which will manufacture the newest means of defense and striking," General Cherry co-founder Yaroslav Hryshyn said in a statement. "First of all we are focusing on interceptor drones as our flagship product."
Founded in September 2023, General Cherry is a striking example of the rapid growth of a new generation of Ukrainian miltech companies since Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022.
A company representative told the Kyiv Independent that the production launch date will depend on ongoing negotiations with the Ukrainian government.
General Cherry makes the Bullet interceptor drone as well as a massive number of FPVs. The company also participated in the "Gauntlet" contest to sell drones to the Pentagon as part of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's Drone Dominance Program.
The deal resembles a series of "Build With Ukraine" agreements that put Ukrainian weapons producers into European factories. The Ukrainian government has promoted a network of export offices in cities such as Copenhagen and Berlin.
The U.S. has a larger domestic weapons industry, and American arms contractors are notoriously territorial, as are the Pentagon's procurement requirements. Since Donald Trump returned to the presidency last year, relations with Ukraine in particular have cooled. Still, with the world's largest defense budget, the U.S. remains a market that Ukrainian miltech companies watch closely.
