European companies are abusing Ukrainian experience in drone production — The Telegraph

Some European drone manufacturers are trying to copy the technologies of Ukrainian developers, using other people's presentations and mock combat tests, Skyeton CEO Roman Knyazhenko told The Telegraph.

According to him, representatives of Western firms came to his company ostensibly for cooperation, but in fact their goal was to obtain internal technical data that proved its effectiveness in combat conditions.

"Many European drone makers are doing a fantastic job, and we work with a number of them. But others are promising a lot just to talk with you more, to find out what secrets you have, and then they’re disappearing. These dishonest companies are trying to sniff around to find out how we’re operating, what kind of solutions we have that work on the battlefield," Roman Knyazhenko said.

Skyeton CEO stressed that after brief demonstrations in the rear, some European companies are starting to promote their drones as "battle-proven," even though they have no real combat experience. This, according to Knyazhenko, is leading to billions of dollars in spending by European states on ineffective systems that do not meet military needs.

Skyeton is one of the leading UAV manufacturers in Ukraine. In particular, the company produces Raybird drones, which already have over 350 thousand hours of combat flight. These devices are capable of performing tasks in the air for up to 28 hours at a distance of up to 2500 km, carrying payloads ranging from cameras to radars.

The company regularly updates half of its drone components to remain invisible to radar, as technologies quickly lose their relevance. Knyazhenko also reported difficulties with the supply of components. According to him, one batch of drone cameras turned out to be 50% defective, which created risks in meeting contract deadlines.

The head of Skyeton is convinced that foreign companies underestimate the complexity of UAV production in wartime, and suggests that the governments of European countries consider the option of creating factories for Ukrainian manufacturers on their territory, instead of supporting dubious startups.