https://sputnikglobe.com/20250728/pentagon-eyes-ukraine-as-drone-testing-ground-after-alaska-failures-1122505709.html
Pentagon Eyes Ukraine as Drone Testing Ground After Alaska Failures
Pentagon Eyes Ukraine as Drone Testing Ground After Alaska Failures
Sputnik International
The US Department of Defense (DOD) views Ukraine to be a potential polygon for drone testing after it ran into difficulties during the June trials in Alaska, Defense News reported, citing sources in Pentagon.
2025-07-28T17:50+0000
2025-07-28T17:50+0000
2025-07-29T08:30+0000
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Earlier this summer, five US companies underwent drone testing in Alaska to see if their prototypes were able to withstand GPS disruption and if they were ready to transition to the military services. Commercial companies, especially small ones, do not have access to test spaces that are similar to field conditions, so the Pentagon needs to provide such conditions if it wants to achieve new technologies fast and efficiently, the report said. To solve this issue, Emeneker proposed testing drones on the Ukrainian front lines, adding that "there's no better place in the world" to do it. However, according to the report, it is difficult for the Department of Defense to officially send start-ups to Ukraine for in-country testing after US President Donald Trump assumed office, and the political tension between the current administration and the Ukrainian government increased. On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had reached an agreement with US President Donald Trump on the supply of Ukrainian-made drones worth $10-30 billion to the United States.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20230914/pentagon-using-ukraine-as-testing-ground-for-electronic-warfare-says-us-commander-1113381823.html
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pentagon, ukraine, drone testing, defense department, alaska trials, combat drones, gps disruption, battlefield technology, military innovation, defense innovation unit, zelensky, trump, us-ukraine relations, drone warfare, defense startups, military prototypes, frontline testing
pentagon, ukraine, drone testing, defense department, alaska trials, combat drones, gps disruption, battlefield technology, military innovation, defense innovation unit, zelensky, trump, us-ukraine relations, drone warfare, defense startups, military prototypes, frontline testing
Pentagon Eyes Ukraine as Drone Testing Ground After Alaska Failures
17:50 GMT 28.07.2025 (Updated: 08:30 GMT 29.07.2025) WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - The US Department of Defense (DOD) views Ukraine to be a potential polygon for drone testing after it ran into difficulties during the June trials in Alaska, Defense News reported, citing sources in Pentagon.
Earlier this summer, five US companies underwent drone testing in Alaska to see if their prototypes were able to withstand GPS disruption and if they were ready to transition to the military services.
"Providing an opportunity for these companies to assess their products in a contested environment against a notional threat is really valuable, one, for the DOD to assess their product in that way. But it's also important for the companies to see where they're succeeding or where they're falling short so they can make tweaks and have a better product," one of the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) officials told Defense News.
Commercial companies, especially small ones, do not have access to test spaces that are similar to field conditions, so the Pentagon needs to provide such conditions if it wants to achieve new technologies fast and efficiently, the report said.
14 September 2023, 22:19 GMT
"If we want to succeed, we have to embed engineers with warfighters, and we have to be out in the field testing. We have to do it all the time," DIU's Trent Emeneker was quoted as saying by Defense News.
To solve this issue, Emeneker proposed testing drones on the Ukrainian front lines, adding that "there's no better place in the world" to do it. However, according to the report, it is difficult for the Department of Defense to officially send start-ups to Ukraine for in-country testing after US President Donald Trump assumed office, and the political tension between the current administration and the Ukrainian government increased.
On Friday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he had reached an agreement with US President Donald Trump on the supply of Ukrainian-made drones worth $10-30 billion to the United States.
