In recent years, Ukraine has – out of necessity – become an epicenter for military UAS developments, both in offensive use and in defending against hostile drones. This know-how is something allied nations want to benefit from, making it increasingly a „hot export item“. For example, through collaborations between Ukrainian companies and foreign partners, as seen with General Cherry and Orqa.

While Ukraine possesses significant technical expertise and considerable practical experience in drone utilization, local production capacities are limited due to the ongoing Russian war of aggression over the past several years. The „Build with Ukraine“ initiative, introduced by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the summer of 2025, aims to expand production capacity for Ukrainian manufacturers abroad through state-supported corporate partnerships.

FPV and interceptor drones

The Croatian company Orqa claims to be one of the world’s largest drone manufacturers, producing components and integrated systems for customers in over 50 markets worldwide, including 24 NATO member states. General Cherry, on the other hand, specializes in developing FPV and interceptor drones. Together, the Ukrainian-Croatian partners aim to engage particularly in Counter-UAS systems. Work is already underway on establishing joint manufacturing sites in Croatia and Ukraine, with the first joint products expected in the near future, as stated by the two companies in a joint statement on the occasion of signing their cooperation agreement.

„Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for our company and Ukrainian defense-tech as a whole. We are launching a major and promising partnership with a company that brings over a decade of experience and leading experti…