- Pentagon receives 2,000 Ukrainian attack drones after historic export approval
- Ukraine completes first official export of fully assembled combat drones
- F10 Drone Lands Pentagon Contract After Strong Gauntlet I Performance
The United States has taken delivery of 2,000 Ukrainian F10 attack drones after manufacturer F-Drones secured a contract with the Pentagon during the opening phase of the Drone Dominance program.
This shipment follows receipt of Ukraine’s first official export permit for completed combat drones, marking a notable change from previous approvals primarily covering technologies, components or accessories.
The delivery also comes as the Pentagon advances the next stage of its broader $1.1 billion drone dominance initiative, aimed at expanding domestic and allied unmanned capabilities.
Ukraine grants its first export permit for finished combat drones
The State Service for Export Control of Ukraine issued the permit on July 1, 2026, authorizing the F-Drones to send a batch of F10 units across the border to the US territory.
A company representative said the permit had already taken effect and drones were crossing that border shortly after approval was obtained.
F-Drones noted that this approval came before new government measures simplifying military exports under martial law officially took effect.
The company completed the full approval cycle under the export control mechanism already in place at the time.
This process required a positive decision by the interdepartmental commission overseeing issues of military-technical cooperation and export policy.
The state-owned company Spetstechnoexport accompanied the entire procedure, from initial review to final approval.
Previous Ukrainian export decisions have typically involved individual components or subsystems rather than complete, combat-ready drone systems shipped in bulk.
The shift suggests that Ukrainian officials now view exports of finished drones as both commercially useful and diplomatically useful in deepening ties with Washington.
UDD Tech Corp’s path to winning Pentagon contract
The American company UDD Tech Corp, which represents F-Drones products in the United States, has entered the first phase of the program known as Gauntlet I.
Testing took place at Fort Benning in Georgia in February 2026, involving 25 competing drone systems from multiple manufacturers.
The F10 system finished sixth among those 25 competitors and secured a spot among the program’s 11 overall winners.
This result led to the contract to directly supply 2,000 drones to the US Department of War.
UDD Tech Corp was also selected to pursue the next competitive phase of the program.
The Drone Dominance initiative itself is designed to accelerate U.S. access to low-cost, combat-tested unmanned systems developed outside of traditional domestic supply chains.
Established U.S. defense companies have reportedly viewed the program with some caution, given the amount of foreign competition it now allows.
The deal marks a shift toward foreign-made hardware entering a Pentagon pipeline long dominated by U.S. defense contractors based throughout the country.
It is not yet clear from the information currently available publicly whether this change is continuing on a large scale or whether it is a one-off contract.
Via Defender Media
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