US to Begin Production of Ukrainian Magura Sea Drones
US-based ReconCraft will produce Ukrainian Magura sea drones under a deal with Uforce, as the Pentagon expands its arsenal of autonomous weapons systems.
According to The Wall Street Journal, production of Ukrainian Magura unmanned surface vessels is set to begin in the United States.
The newspaper reported that this will mark the first time an American manufacturer produces unmanned boats developed and tested by Ukraine in combat conditions, as the Pentagon works to expand its autonomous weapons arsenal.
Assembly will be handled by ReconCraft, a Portland, Oregon-based company that currently builds boats for US special operations forces. In mid-July, ReconCraft and Magura manufacturer Uforce signed a memorandum of understanding at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington.
Under the agreement, Uforce will provide the American side with aerial, maritime and ground-based unmanned systems, along with autonomous-operation software and command-and-control technologies.
ReconCraft co-founder Joe Silkowski said the partnership is intended to support annual production of hundreds or even thousands of maritime drones. The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Magura is a multipurpose V-type unmanned surface vessel designed for reconnaissance and combat missions at sea, including strikes against warships and aerial targets. The platform was developed by Spetstekhnoexport.
The project began in 2022 under the supervision of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ukrainian Defense Ministry. The vessel was first shown to the public at the IDEF 2023 international exhibition in Istanbul.