Ukraine’s War-Driven Defense Innovation
How battlefield pressure turned Ukraine into the world’s fastest laboratory for drones, robotics, and military R&D
Ukraine has become a unique testing ground for the rapid development of defense technologies, where war has accelerated innovation. From drones to electronic warfare systems, Ukrainian developments are changing modern warfare and attracting global attention.
The Ukrainian front has become a testing ground for rapid defense innovation. The unprecedented pressure of war has forced Ukrainian engineers and entrepreneurs to develop and implement new military technologies in a short period of time. This has given the Ukrainian Armed Forces a technological boost that has attracted the attention of the West — allies are not only supplying weapons, but also adopting Ukraine's experience of rapid R&D (Research & Development) on the battlefield.
War Accelerates the Development of Defense Innovations
Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022 launched a real defense technology revolution in Ukraine. In a matter of months, the war has activated hundreds of new projects and companies in the field of defense technologies. Before the war, there were only a few dozen specialized developers in Ukraine, but as of 2025, there are already more than 1,500.
The military-industrial complex, once focused primarily on repairing and maintaining Soviet equipment, has rapidly transformed into a flexible ecosystem integrating IT specialists, engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs. For example, in 2023, Ukraine managed to radically increase its production of ammunition – the output of mortar shells increased 48 times compared to the pre-war period.
The country also focused on unmanned systems: in early 2024, the Ukrainian government declared its goal to manufacture up to one million drones by the end of the year, even creating a separate branch of the military — the Unmanned Systems Forces – to develop this area. In conditions of constant combat threat, traditional multi-year cycles of defense development have been reduced to a few months or even weeks.
The military formulates urgent needs literally from the trenches, and small innovative firms immediately set about solving them. Such close interaction between the front lines and developers has had a qualitative effect: technology has become a key factor in helping to contain the numerically superior enemy army. Ukraine has gained a reputation as a laboratory for the latest methods of warfare, where innovations are tested in real combat and successful solutions are quickly scaled up to the entire army.
State Clusters and Grant Programs for Defense Tech
To direct and accelerate the wave of defense innovation, the state has created special incubators and platforms. The central hub is the Brave1 cluster, a coordination platform for defense technologies launched in April 2023 by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine in conjunction with the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff, and other agencies. The idea for Brave1 arose as an analogue to the American agency DARPA, but with a focus on practical, quick solutions instead of fundamental research.
The “Ukrainian DARPA” focuses on developments that can be sent to the front immediately, within a few weeks. The Brave1 program has been allocated state funding (UAH 100 million at the start, with a budget of UAH 1.5 billion for 2024), and defense and military experts have been brought in to evaluate promising ideas. All relevant agencies, from the Ministry of Defense to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, coordinate their efforts through Brave1 to ensure that the most useful developments are given priority and are tested and approved for use as quickly as possible. The results of this model became apparent very quickly. In its first year of operation, Brave1 processed more than 700 applications from inventors, dozens of which were approved for use in the military.
New Developments are Emerging: Kamikaze Drones, Robots, and Electronic Warfare
In just a year or two, Ukraine has acquired a whole arsenal of modern technologies, created or modernized in-house. The most notable examples of military R&D born on the battlefield include kamikaze drones and strike drones. The Ukrainian army is using both military loitering munitions and modified commercial FPV drones to strike enemy equipment and personnel.
The ingenuity of the fighters has made it possible to turn even small quadcopters into mini-bombers that drop grenades or ram targets. The government has set an ambitious goal of 1 million drones for the army, encouraging hundreds of teams to develop new unmanned systems of all types. In February 2024, based on these developments, a separate branch of the military was created – the Unmanned Systems Forces – underscoring the key role of drones on the modern battlefield.
Combat robotics on land. Ukrainian engineers quickly caught up in the field of ground drones. Various volunteer and startup teams created remotely controlled machines for evacuating the wounded, reconnaissance, and strikes. For example, the Ratel S tracked robot, capable of carrying a 100 kg warhead, was designed and successfully used to blow up enemy targets at a distance of up to 6 km. In April 2024, Ukrainian troops used this robot to destroy a strategic bridge near Bakhmut, demonstrating the effectiveness of unmanned platforms in offensive operations.
Similar mobile kamikaze robots and transport drones are currently being tested along the front lines, expanding the capabilities of the troops without risking the lives of soldiers.
Ukrainian developers have created a number of devices to counter Russian electronic warfare capabilities and protect their own communications. In particular, the startup Himera Tech has developed portable military radio stations with secure encrypted communications that are resistant to enemy jamming. Another team, Kseonics, has produced a portable drone radio direction finder that determines the frequencies of enemy drones, helping to detect them.
To combat the invasion of enemy FPV drones, Ukrainians have also created lightweight backpack-mounted electronic warfare systems that generate powerful interference (so-called “white noise”) within a radius of 200–250 meters, effectively blocking enemy drone control channels. And to protect their own tanks and armored personnel carriers, they have developed the Piranha AVD device, which creates a “dome” with a radius of up to 600 meters around the equipment, inside which enemy drones lose their GPS signal and control. These electronic warfare tools have already been tested on the front lines and help neutralize one of the main threats of modern combat – enemy drones and high-precision shells.
Even these examples demonstrate the range of Ukrainian know-how – from its own kamikaze drones with artificial intelligence elements that can operate in conditions of radio interference, to “invisible” camouflage cloaks that make a soldier invisible to thermal imaging. The front line has become a stimulus for invention, which in peacetime would hardly have received such support.
Ukrainian military innovations not only meet urgent needs on the battlefield, but also open up new directions in defense technology. It is noteworthy that some Ukrainian startups have actually created entirely new niches – for example, marine drones or close-range electronic warfare systems, which did not exist before. These results have been achieved thanks to close cooperation between developers and tactical users: feedback from soldiers is sent directly to engineers through special channels, and they immediately improve prototypes for real combat conditions.
There are More Joint Projects Between Ukraine and Western Partners
The successes of Ukrainian defense R&D have not gone unnoticed abroad. On the one hand, allies have begun to more actively finance and integrate Ukraine into their weapons development programs, and on the other hand, they have begun to adopt Ukrainian practices of rapid innovation.
First, Western defense companies have literally lined up to test their developments in the real combat conditions of Ukraine. Over the past year, dozens of Western companies – from startups to giants – have entered the country to test and demonstrate their drones, robots, and artificial intelligence systems on the battlefield.
For example, the German company Quantum Systems has already transferred more than 400 reconnaissance drones to Ukraine and is preparing to deliver another 800, while also planning to open a drone production facility in Ukraine. The American company Palantir and the European company Helsing are cooperating with the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense in the field of data analysis and artificial intelligence for situational awareness on the battlefield.
In fact, Ukraine today is a magnet for defense innovation: as Brave1 notes, if a company wants to create a breakthrough defense-tech product, it should work here, in “the most dynamic innovation ecosystem in the world.”
Secondly, Western governments are launching joint weapons development programs with Ukraine. In the US, inspired by Ukrainian improvisations, the Pentagon has given the green light to unconventional rapid armament projects. In particular, in 2024, the US Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) initiated the Artemis program, a competition to create long-range kamikaze drones capable of operating in conditions of intense radio-electronic suppression. Importantly, among the winners of this competition are two Ukrainian drone manufacturers that have teamed up with American partners to test the new weapons. American officials directly link the Artemis program to the lessons of the war in Ukraine, where cheap drones, used en masse by Ukrainians, have proven effective against a technically superior enemy.
Scaling up Through International Partnerships
The Ukrainian defense sector, which has rapidly matured in the crucible of war, is now entering a new phase of scaling up through cooperation with global players. On the one hand, large Western defense corporations are partnering with each other to meet the increased demand caused by the war, and on the other hand, they are building direct links with Ukraine for joint production.
In particular, American giant Lockheed Martin and German concern Rheinmetall announced in April 2025 the creation of a joint center of excellence in Europe for the production of missiles and ammunition. This center is designed to significantly increase NATO's capabilities in the field of missile weapons – in fact, we are talking about new factories in Germany that will produce systems such as HIMARS/MLRS to replenish the stocks of allies depleted by aid to Ukraine.
The cooperation between two leading arms manufacturers shows that the lessons of the Ukrainian war (where ammunition and missile consumption proved to be enormous) are already transforming the Western defense industry. At the same time, Ukraine itself is becoming a partner of Western defense contractors. Back in 2023, the state-owned concern Ukroboronprom and Rheinmetall established a joint venture aimed at establishing the production of modern military equipment in Ukraine. Initially, the cooperation focuses on the repair and maintenance of Western equipment transferred to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but plans have already been agreed upon for the joint production of the latest armored vehicles and weapon systems directly on Ukrainian territory.
Rheinmetall has announced its intention to build a factory in Ukraine to produce Lynx infantry fighting vehicles in the near future. In addition, the Germans, together with their Ukrainian partners, are preparing to launch a production line for large-caliber artillery shells (155 mm) in Ukraine. At the same time, the French-German consortium KNDS has signed an agreement with the Ukrainian plant KZVV to produce the same scarce 155 mm shells in Ukraine.
All these projects are unprecedented – previously, Western countries did not place such high-tech military production outside NATO. Now, given the critical needs of the war, Ukraine is becoming part of the production chain of the Euro-Atlantic defense industry.
American corporations are not far behind. In June 2024, Northrop Grumman announced plans to produce medium-caliber ammunition directly in Ukraine – for the first time in history, an American defense contractor has agreed to set up production lines in a country that is not a NATO ally. This move is supported by the US government's program to develop Ukraine's military-industrial complex and is intended to replenish stocks of necessary shells as quickly as possible. In the future, Northrop is ready to expand the range of joint production (up to tank ammunition and missiles) if the experiment with the production of 30- and 155-mm shells in Ukraine is successful.
In this way, Ukraine gains access to advanced American technologies, and the US gains a platform with a cheaper base for increasing production, which is beneficial to both sides. Another dimension of scaling up is the export of Ukrainian military technologies and production abroad. On July 4, 2025, Ukraine and Denmark signed an agreement allowing Ukrainian defense companies to open their own production facilities in Denmark. This is a unique case: for the first time, Ukrainian military technologies will be manufactured outside the country specifically for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
A year ago, Denmark became the first country to finance the production of weapons by Ukrainian enterprises, and now it has become the first to host Ukrainian defense plants. In fact, the Ukrainian defense industry is undergoing international expansion: advanced developments, tested in war, are being put into production in partner countries to increase volumes and bring production sites closer to resources and secure infrastructure.
President Zelensky has outlined this strategy as a course toward the “internationalization” of defense production – Ukraine will export its technologies and deploy arms factory lines in friendly countries. To this end, the Ukrainian government is calling on Western partners to invest in such projects and to join in co-financing the rapid expansion of production capacity. The example of Denmark, which both finances and hosts Ukrainian production, shows what further alliances of this kind might look like: the EU effectively gains new defense factories, while Ukraine gains a guaranteed supply of critical weapons and ammunition.
Geopolitical Implications: Ukraine's Technological Advantage
The rapid progress of Ukrainian defense R&D is already changing the balance and approaches to global security. Ukraine, which just a few years ago was seen only as a recipient of military aid, is increasingly emerging as a source of military innovation and an equal partner in the development of new technologies. The situation is being compared to Spain in the 1930s, where the civil war became a “dress rehearsal” for World War II, giving impetus to the development of new types of weapons (aviation, tanks, etc.). The same is true today – the war in Ukraine has become a testing ground for drones, robots, and artificial intelligence in military affairs, and military analysts around the world are closely watching this testing ground.
As experts note, all armies are learning from the Ukrainian experience, noting not a return to the trenches of World War I, but the emergence of new approaches with the massive use of drones and high-tech systems. NATO countries are already reviewing their weapons development programs, incorporating the development of kamikaze drones, counter-UAV systems, and automated troop control, largely following Ukraine's example.
For Ukraine itself, the technological expertise gained in battle could become a significant geopolitical advantage. Firstly, on the battlefield, the Ukrainian army gains a qualitative advantage over the enemy by using more modern and rapidly improving weapons (a motivated soldier with a $1,000 drone can destroy a $3 million tank, and there are countless such cases). Second, after the war, Ukraine has a chance to establish itself as a regional defense tech hub, offering its products on the global arms market.
Domestic defense tech companies, hardened by war, will be able to export unique solutions to other countries facing similar threats. This will not only bring economic dividends, but also increase Ukraine's strategic importance – after all, a country with advanced military technology becomes a more desirable partner for its allies.
Third, Ukraine's integration into the Euro-Atlantic defense and technology space will make this community stronger. European officials openly say that Ukraine's involvement in joint armament projects will strengthen Europe's defense capabilities and strategic autonomy. Ukraine brings to NATO and the EU what has been lacking during decades of relative peace: experience in confronting a high-tech adversary and a culture of rapid engineering solutions “on the battlefield.” This will ensure that in the future, the collective security of the West will be based not only on numerical or financial superiority, but also on flexibility and innovation.
It is no coincidence that analysts are advising allied governments to adopt the Ukrainian model of defense innovation now – to rely on numerous small startups, rapid experimentation, and close feedback between the military and engineers. In this regard, Ukraine has received a huge technological boost in 2022–2025 that would have been impossible to achieve in peacetime.
Having managed to survive the war, Ukraine will not only have a seasoned military, but also a modern defense sector – with its own “drones, robots, and software code” that are competitive on a global level. This will guarantee its security and influence for decades to come, and the experience of Ukrainian defense R&D is already changing approaches to warfare around the world.
Ukraine has transformed from an object of military technology to its frontier and driver – and this technological advantage is a significant geopolitical factor in countering Russian aggression and strengthening the security of Europe as a whole. Conclusion: Ukraine today is a testing ground where a new military innovation paradigm is emerging. Defense R&D, accelerated by the needs of the front, has given Ukraine a chance to level the playing field with a stronger enemy and has taught the West lessons on how to wage war in the 21st century. And while the struggle continues, Ukrainian engineers and soldiers are jointly creating the future of military technology, making Ukraine stronger and the world better prepared for the challenges of a new era.
Bohdan Popov, head of digital at the United Ukraine Think Tank, communications specialist, and public figure