Ukraine's First Finished Combat Drones Reach US Army Without Chinese Parts

F-Drones turned a sixth-place Pentagon finish into a 2,000-drone order, an Ohio factory and a chance to supply 9,000 more.

All 2,000 F10 strike drones have arrived in the United States and are undergoing formal acceptance, F-Drones told Militarnyi on July 31. The company called the shipment Kyiv's first authorized export of finished combat drones to the US military. American personnel begin operator training after acceptance closes.

The F10 is a quadcopter with an FPV camera that carries an explosive payload against armored vehicles, equipment and personnel, per Militarnyi. Most components come from Ukraine and Europe. The aircraft contains no Chinese parts.

That supply chain now carries weight in the competition. The Pentagon barred Gauntlet II entrants from using motors or batteries sourced from "covered countries," a category that targets Chinese components, Defence Blog reported. The restriction threatens vendors that scored well in Gauntlet I with Chinese-built hardware. For F-Drones, the parts list is a competitive asset alongside the aircraft's combat record.