Ukraine is seeking funding for a second production line for anti-drone gear. Fortem Technologies, based in Utah, produces drones for Ukraine. The drones fire nets to entangle enemy drones and were deployed near power plants in January. Ukrainian Commander-in-Chief Valerii Zaluzhnyi praised the drones in a November Economist essay.
The company initially sold to Ukraine’s Ministry for Digital Transformation and now sells directly to three Ukrainian ministries. The drones also draw U.S. government interest, but funding remains an issue. Ukraine is facing large budget deficits and foreign sources for funding come with complications.
The British-led International Fund for Ukraine has helped field new anti-drone technologies to Ukraine. The fund is backed with around $1 billion, far less than the U.S.’s Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative with $18.6 billion in funds.
