American company ReconCraft from Portland will begin serial production of Magura combat unmanned surface vessels, developed and battle-tested by Ukrainian company Uforce. This was reported on July 21 by The Wall Street Journal.
A memorandum of understanding between ReconCraft and Uforce was signed last week at the Ukrainian Embassy in Washington. According to the executives of both companies, this is a “interim agreement” under which the parties will jointly provide components, equipment, and personnel. The financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed by either side.
The goal of the partnership is to produce hundreds or even thousands of Magura units annually at facilities in Oregon and South Carolina. — stated ReconCraft co-founder Joe Silkowski.
His company specializes in building vessels for US special operations forces.
Through the partnership, Uforce will provide the American side with access to its line of unmanned aerial, maritime, and ground systems, as well as its own autonomous control software and command-and-control systems.
Ukraine’s Ambassador to the US Olha Stefanishyna called the agreement an important precedent:
«I am confident that this will encourage other companies to follow this example and deepen Ukrainian-American defense-industrial cooperation.»
Uforce CEO Oleg Rogynskyi emphasized that Ukraine’s permission to localize Magura production in the US is «absolutely key»:
It will allow American forces to take advantage of the tactics and employment concepts honed through years of full-scale war.
Unmanned vessels of the Magura family have become one of the factors that forced the Russian Black Sea Fleet to significantly curtail its presence in the western part of the Black Sea. The drones have also been used to strike oil tankers and bridges, and in their latest modifications have been equipped with missile armaments for engaging aircraft and ground targets. Earlier, Ukrainian company F-Drones announced the opening of its first assembly and production center in the US. The manufacturer also reported that it was the first to receive a permit from Ukraine’s State Export Control Service to supply a batch of F10 strike drones for the needs of the US Armed Forces.
