August 2, 2025:
China has stopped selling Ukraine drones and drone components. Ukraine’s solution is to rely on increased production by its domestic drone manufacturers and obtaining more drones and parts from the United States and NATO countries. These drones are not as rugged as the Chinese Mavic 3 and 4 models, but they could provide an adequate temporary solution. That might encourage to Chinese to reconsider. China was banning the drones to help Russia, but the Russians are losing the war and probably won’t last another six months.
One result of the Ukraine War was the emergence of inexpensive drones as a decisive weapon as well as a reconnaissance and surveillance system. Drones have been around for decades but they were complex, expensive and difficult to operate. That changed in the 1990s when General Atomics introduced their one-ton Predator drone. These were widely used by American and allied forces, along with the larger 4.2 ton Reaper. The second stage of the revolution came in 2016 when Chinese firm DJI introduced the Mavic quadcopter drone. These were cheap, costing from $300 to thousands of dollars depending on accessories. By the 2020s most quadcopter drones cost about $500. More importantly, suppliers provided drone components so you could build, and often design, your own.
In 2023, a year after Russia invaded Ukraine, the Ukrainians were building their own drones, often at home or scattered workshops. By late 2024 Ukrainians were producing over 150,000 drones a month. In 2025 Ukraine aims to produce up to four million drones. By purchasing Chinese components in bulk, thousands of Ukrainian men and women were building these drones for the armed forces or for someone they knew in the military. Troops at the front also build and modify drones to fit their immediate situations. For the soldiers, designing better drones is often a matter of life or death.
The Ukrainians have kept ahead of the Russians in drone technology and production. The Russian government discourages, or even outlaws, individuals building drones and instead centralizes drone production. This is the Russian way of war, and gives the Ukrainians an edge in drone quantity and quality. The Ukrainians are defending their homeland and Russia is having an increasingly difficult time justifying continued fighting and nearly a million Russians have been killed or disabled in Ukraine.
NATO countries are trying to adopt drone technology and use for their own armed forces. Ukraine has received over $200 billion in military and economic assistance from NATO countries and shares their drone experience and technology with their benefactors. Drones have revolutionized warfare and are causing 60-90 percent of casualties in Ukraine. The Ukraine War is a battle between industrialized countries employing modern weapons. It is the war of the future that has become what all armed forces in the world must adopt to remain competitive.
Even before the Ukraine War, drones were being used in irregular warfare in the Middle East, Afghanistan and Africa. Drug gangs have used drones to smuggle drugs into the United States or a prison to aid in an escape attempt. Drones are everywhere, despite laws in some countries restricting or prohibiting their use.